Global Microsoft Outage Disrupts Flights, Banks, and Media Worldwide
On Friday, a significant Microsoft outage caused widespread disruptions, affecting flights, banks, media outlets, and various companies globally. The issue primarily impacted access to Microsoft 365 apps and services, causing considerable inconvenience.
As the day progressed, disruptions continued even after Microsoft announced it was gradually resolving the issue. The outage affected numerous services, including Visa, ADT security, Amazon, and several airlines like American Airlines and Delta. According to DownDetector, which monitors internet outages, reports of disruptions were widespread.
News outlets in Australia reported that airlines, telecommunications providers, banks, and media broadcasters experienced significant issues as they lost access to critical computer systems. Similar problems were reported by airlines in the UK, Europe, and India, with some New Zealand banks also going offline.
Microsoft 365 updated its users via X, stating that they were “working on rerouting the impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate impact in a more expedient fashion” and were seeing “a positive trend in service availability.” However, Microsoft did not provide a detailed explanation for the cause of the outage.
New Zealand’s acting Prime Minister, David Seymour, commented on X that officials were swiftly investigating the potential impacts of the global issue. He added that there was no current evidence to suggest malicious cyber activity was behind the disruptions. Seymour acknowledged the public and business inconveniences caused by the outage.
Israel’s Cyber Directorate noted that the global outages also affected the country, attributing the issues to the cybersecurity platform Crowdstrike. The outage impacted Israel's post offices and hospitals, as reported by the ministries of communication and health.
In the US, the FAA reported that United, American, Delta, and Allegiant airlines were grounded. Passengers at Los Angeles International Airport were seen sleeping on jetway floors due to delayed flights.
In the UK, disruptions were reported by Ryanair, TransPennine Express, Govia Thameslink Railway, and Sky News. Ryanair advised passengers to arrive at least three hours before their scheduled departure times due to the global IT outage.
Australian airports faced significant issues, with long queues and stranded passengers due to disabled online check-in services. Similar disruptions were reported in India, where IndiGo airlines informed passengers that the Microsoft outage affected operations, causing delays.
In Europe, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport experienced major flight impacts, while Berlin Airport delayed check-ins and suspended flights temporarily. Zurich Airport in Switzerland also faced disruptions, with some check-ins completed manually.
Hospitals in the UK and Germany reported computer system outages, affecting patient records and scheduling. Media outlets in Australia, such as the ABC and Sky News, faced broadcast issues due to sudden shutdowns of Windows-based computers.
The global scope of this Microsoft outage highlights the critical dependency on technology and the extensive impact such disruptions can have on various sectors worldwide.
News Agencies