Dusseldorf, 3 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Computer problems for Germany's Federal Police at airports across the country has led to major delays for passengers trying to clear passport checks after arriving on flights from outside the Schengen Area.

The IT system that handles Germany's automated entry system currently not working, a spokesman for the Federal Police told dpa. The agency is responsible for managing Germany's border controls.

Officers currently have to carry out passport and visa checks manually, which has led to "increased waiting times and backlogs," the spokesman said.

There are far fewer issues for those arriving on flights from within Europe's visa-free Schengen Area, the spokesman said, since there are only sporadic random passport checks for passengers within the bloc.

The problem is a "nationwide system failure" affecting all major German airports, and IT staff are working at full speed to "get to grips with the situation and rectify the error," the spokesman said.

The disruptions have been occurring since 2pm (1300 GMT) and extra officers have been called to the airports to help with the passport controls.

Officials at airports including Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf said that flights were proceeding despite some delays.

The precise cause of the IT outage in the Inpol police electronic data information system was initially unclear.

Photo: dpa