diff --git a/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/opt/run/bin/ctafrontend.sh b/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/opt/run/bin/ctafrontend.sh
index 37b6aa120d211c2d6ba407e9c6d7cabb102147fe..67eaf5ec68fee669d37b2e82c25589102dba27d9 100755
--- a/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/opt/run/bin/ctafrontend.sh
+++ b/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/opt/run/bin/ctafrontend.sh
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ fi
 
 if [ "-${CI_CONTEXT}-" == '-nosystemd-' ]; then
   # systemd is not available
+  echo 'echo "Setting environment variables for cta-frontend"' > /tmp/cta-frontend_env
+  cat /etc/sysconfig/cta-frontend | sed -e 's/^/export /' >> /tmp/cta-frontend_env
+  source /tmp/cta-frontend_env
+
   runuser --shell='/bin/bash' --session-command='cd ~cta; xrootd -l /var/log/cta-frontend-xrootd.log -k fifo -n cta -c /etc/cta/cta-frontend-xrootd.conf -I v4' cta
   echo "ctafrontend died"
   echo "analysing core file if any"