Due to a technical issue, Lufthansa Airlines had to cancel flights around the world, leaving passengers stranded

Massive flight delays and cancellations were brought on by a technical issue at Germany's Lufthansa, the airline claimed on Wednesday.

The specific reason for the stoppage, according to the airline, is still a mystery. A representative for Lufthansa told the news agency Reuters that "there is a group-wide IT system problem."

Social media users posted images and videos of the turmoil at various airports in Germany as thousands of stuck travellers were awaiting check-in.

The airline tweeted the following: "An IT disruption is currently affecting the Lufthansa Group's airlines. Flight cancellations and delays are a result of this. We are sorry for the trouble this is giving our customers."

Notably, the Lufthansa Group owns six additional brands, including Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss, and Edelweiss Air, in addition to Lufthansa and a number of regional partners.

The Lufthansa Group issued the following statement on its website: "Due to an IT malfunction, many Lufthansa IT systems are presently down. Because of this, travellers should prepare for delays in the flight schedule and at check-in. We will update this information as soon as we can. If your flight is cancelled, we advise against going to the airport and instead rebooking your travel through our Chatbot.

"We are moving quickly to develop a solution. All impacted passengers on domestic LH flights in Germany are urged to purchase a rail ticket and submit a refund request on lh.com until that time, the airline stated.