German air traffic software glitch one of several problems afflicting sector

A software glitch at a German air traffic control centre has caused flight cancellations for the best part of a week. Yet it's just one of several problems afflicting this most critical cog in the global transport wheel. In a given week, staff at the DFS manage and handle up to 60,000 flights from 4 control centres, one of which is in Langen. Its fluent operation is central to aviation in Germany and Europe. But things are far from fluent at the moment. Software problems have affected DFS since Wednesday, with computer glitches impacting air traffic control systems at Langen, forcing the cancellation of several flights, including 46 from Frankfurt Airport Monday alone. "The technicians are working on rectifying the error," DFS said last week. However, 5 days on, the problem is still significantly affecting passengers. <br/>