diff --git a/protocols/openflow/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/openflow/controller/impl/OFChannelHandler.java b/protocols/openflow/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/openflow/controller/impl/OFChannelHandler.java
index 9f78a11..84d9deb 100644
--- a/protocols/openflow/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/openflow/controller/impl/OFChannelHandler.java
+++ b/protocols/openflow/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/openflow/controller/impl/OFChannelHandler.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 package org.onosproject.openflow.controller.impl;
 
+import static java.util.concurrent.Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor;
 import static org.onlab.packet.Ethernet.TYPE_BSN;
 import static org.onlab.packet.Ethernet.TYPE_LLDP;
 import static org.onlab.util.Tools.groupedThreads;
@@ -235,6 +236,12 @@
     private final Deque<OFMessage> dispatchBacklog;
 
     /**
+     * Port Status executor to offload from the main thread the processing of port
+     * status OF messages.
+     */
+    protected ExecutorService portStatusExecutor;
+
+    /**
      * Create a new unconnected OFChannelHandler.
      * @param controller parent controller
      */
@@ -245,6 +252,8 @@
         this.pendingPortStatusMsg = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
         this.portDescReplies = new ArrayList<>();
         duplicateDpidFound = Boolean.FALSE;
+        portStatusExecutor = newSingleThreadExecutor(
+                groupedThreads("onos/of-channel-handler", "port-status-%d", log));
         //Initialize queues and classifiers
         dispatchBacklog = new LinkedBlockingDeque<>(BACKLOG_READ_BUFFER_DEFAULT);
         for (int i = 0; i < NUM_OF_QUEUES; i++) {
@@ -907,7 +916,28 @@
             @Override
             void processOFPortStatus(OFChannelHandler h, OFPortStatus m)
                     throws SwitchStateException {
-                handlePortStatusMessage(h, m, true);
+                // Handing over processing of port status messages to a thread to avoid
+                // getting blocked on the main thread and resulting other OF
+                // message being delayed.
+                // Ordering of the port status messages is guaranteed by portStatsExecutor
+                // being a single threaded executor.
+                // This executor will execute concurrently to the netty thread;
+                // meaning that the order is no more guaranteed like it was in the
+                // past between port status handling and the other events handled
+                // inline to the netty thread.
+                // This also remove guarantees of ordered processing of ROLE_CHANGED
+                // during active state, this should have no effect given that mastership
+                // is ignored here: https://github.com/opennetworkinglab/onos/blob/master/
+                // protocols/openflow/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/openflow/controller/
+                // driver/AbstractOpenFlowSwitch.java#L279
+                h.portStatusExecutor.submit(() -> {
+                    try {
+                        handlePortStatusMessage(h, m, true);
+                    } catch (SwitchStateException e) {
+                        log.error("SwitchStateException while processing " +
+                                          "port status message {}", m, e);
+                    }
+                });
                 //h.dispatchMessage(m);
             }