A Register reader reported that a Windows 11 desktop appeared on a PARAFE automated passport gate at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport after the system crashed and rebooted mid-use. The gate remained closed until someone remotely relaunched the correct application, briefly halting the passenger queue. The incident is one of a growing string of "bork" moments — Register slang for embarrassing tech failures in public infrastructure — this time affecting border control rather than the usual signage or check-in systems.

The traveller said the crash occurred in Terminal 3 immediately after inserting their passport into the gate. This follows a similar IT failure in Terminal 2 earlier in the year, when an airport spokesperson confirmed police had encountered issues with their passport verification system, causing significant delays to passenger processing. The Register notes it has observed a recent pattern of such computer glitches surfacing at airports, though this marks the first time the issue has struck passport control specifically.