- A major global IT outage has caused disruption to airlines, banks, retailers and the media.
- The widespread disruption is believed to be linked to problems at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
- Affected businesses include airlines, supermarkets and some 911 lines in the U.S. and Europe.
The massive IT outage affected airlines, banks, retailers and media across the world.
The issue appears to be linked to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue, X Update Early Friday morning: “We continue to implement mitigation measures while continually improving our services.”
Some of the companies and businesses affected include:
Airlines
Airlines including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Allegiant Air have suspended all flights due to the widespread outage.
American Airlines blamed Crowdstrike for the issue, stating that the technical issues were the result of “a Crowdstrike technical issue affecting multiple airlines,” according to BBC News.
On Thursday night, Frontier Airlines issued The airline issued a similar grounding order, saying in a statement that it was “currently experiencing a significant technical outage from Microsoft that is impacting flight operations.”
European airlines Ryanair and KLM were affected by the outage.
“We are currently experiencing disruptions across our network due to a global third-party IT outage which is outside of our control,” Ryanair said in a post on X. The airline advised passengers to arrive at airports at least three hours before their scheduled departure.
KLM also announced that it had largely halted operations.
“KLM and other airlines and airports are affected by a global computer outage which means we are unable to handle flights. We know this is a huge inconvenience for our customers and staff, especially in the middle of the summer holiday season. We are working hard to resolve the issue. Until then, we will have to significantly suspend operations,” the airline said in a post on X.
911 Line
Emergency phone lines across the state were also affected, according to a Facebook post from the Alaska State Troopers.
“Due to a nationwide technology-related outage, many 911 and non-emergency call centers across Alaska are not functioning properly,” the post said.
“We thank you for your patience and will provide more information as it becomes available,” the statement said.
airport
Problems have been reported at Britain’s main airports – Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton – with warnings of delays and disruption.
A post from Gatwick Express’s X account said the company was unable to access driver diagrams in certain locations and “last minute cancellations may occur, particularly on the Thameslink and Great Northern networks”.
Hospitals and Clinics
The power outage appears to have affected several hospitals and clinics.
In the UK, there appear to be problems with the NHS’s EMIS system, which doctors use to make appointments, view patient records, order prescriptions and make referrals.
In a statement, an NHS spokesperson told BI: “The NHS is aware of a global IT outage and issues with EMIS, our booking and patient record system, which is causing disruption to the majority of GP practices.”
The authority said there were long-standing measures in place to deal with disruptions and there were no known impacts to 999 or emergency services, so people should be able to use those services as normal.
“Patients should attend appointments and only contact their GP in the case of an emergency unless instructed otherwise. Otherwise use 111 online or call 111,” it added.
Reuters reported that two hospitals in Germany canceled elective surgeries scheduled for Friday.
Media channels such as Sky News in the UK
Sky News also appears to have been affected by the outage, with the British news channel broadcasting archived footage and briefly displaying an error message.
The news site appears to be up and running at the time of writing.
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange also experienced problems on its website.
“RNS news services are currently experiencing a third-party global technical issue which is preventing news from being published on www.londonstockexchange.com,” the company said in a statement.
“Our technical teams are working hard to restore services. All other services across the group, including the London Stock Exchange, continue to operate as normal.”
Retailers and fast food giants
McDonald’s Japan closed about a third of its restaurants in the country on Friday, Bloomberg reported, citing issues with the chain’s cash registers.
Grocery store chain Woolworths told BI some stores were “affected by a global IT issue” and all but six stores were open, although tills were experiencing reduced functionality in some stores.
Bloomberg At the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott, staff were reported to be using pen and paper to check in guests, and said the outage was affecting systems around the world.
