Air traffic at Schiphol Airport restarts after temporary halt

A malfunction at the communication system of the Air Traffic Control Netherlands (LVNL) caused a temporary halt of incoming and outgoing flights at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on Wednesday.

The problems started at around 1:15 p.m. local time, causing delays at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and also at Rotterdam The Hague Airport. Traffic which was already in Dutch air space could land with a back-up communication system, but other air traffic was stopped.

Over half an hour later the malfunction was solved and LVNL stated that the system was "stable" again. Departing traffic could be restarted slowly again, followed by a limited amount of incoming flights. According to Schiphol it will take some time to get back to the normal flight schedule again.

The LVNL system is crucial for the communication between the air control and the pilots. Therefore in- and outcoming traffic had to be temporarily suspended to ensure security when a malfunction occurred, the LVNL explained, adding that it will investigate the incident.