Swiss airspace was shut down due to a technical glitch at Swiss air navigation service provider Skyguide on 15 June.

As a result of this, Zurich and Geneva airports in Switzerland halted take-offs and landings for several hours.

The airports resumed their services after the issue was resolved. Skyguide reported that the issue was a hardware glitch and ruled out the possibility of a hack.

In a statement, Skyguide said: “The technical malfunction at Skyguide has been resolved. The airspace closure was lifted at 8.30am. Swiss airspace is now open again and air traffic over Switzerland and operations at the national airports of Geneva and Zurich are resuming.

“Skyguide regrets this incident and its consequences for its customers and partners, as well as for all affected passengers. Skyguide is doing everything in its power to handle the flights efficiently and to keep delays to a minimum.”

The air navigation service provider noted that the malfunction was identified in the early hours of Wednesday, following which Swiss airspace was closed to ensure safety.

During the airspace closure, some flights were diverted to Milan, Italy.

Due to the disruption, many flights at Geneva airport were also cancelled but were gradually resumed after the issue was resolved.

In February, airport ground services operator Swissport faced a ransomware attack that hit Zurich Airport’s services.

The incident at Swissport, which manages the bulk of the airport’s operations, including baggage handling, aircraft fueling and security, and check-in gates, reportedly delayed 22 flights.