WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A significant IT outage linked to Microsoft caused widespread disruptions affecting flights, banks, media outlets, and various companies around the globe on Friday.
The disruptions persisted despite Microsoft’s efforts to gradually fix the issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services. DownDetector, a website tracking user-reported internet outages, noted growing disruptions at companies such as Visa, ADT security, and Amazon, along with major airlines including American Airlines and Delta.
EXCLUSIVE: CrowdStrike founder and CEO @George_Kurtz speaks on TODAY about the major computer outages worldwide that started earlier today: “We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this.” pic.twitter.com/fWz6KhgrcZ
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 19, 2024
In Australia, the outage impacted airlines, telecommunications providers, banks, and media broadcasters, cutting off access to essential computer systems. New Zealand banks also reported being offline.
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Microsoft 365 posted on X that the company was “working on rerouting the impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate impact in a more expedient fashion” and noted a “positive trend in service availability.” However, Microsoft did not provide further details or respond to requests for comment.
The situation worsened for airlines and airports as disruptions grew. In the U.S., the FAA reported that United, American, Delta, and Allegiant airlines were all grounded due to the outage.
In the United Kingdom, airlines, railways, and television stations faced significant disruptions. Budget airline Ryanair, train operators TransPennine Express and Govia Thameslink Railway, and broadcaster Sky News were among those affected. Ryanair advised passengers to arrive at airports at least three hours before their scheduled departure times due to the IT issues.
Australian airports experienced extensive problems, with long lines and stranded passengers as online check-in services and self-service booths were disabled. Passengers in Melbourne queued for more than an hour to check in.
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reported that the outage had a “major impact on flights” to and from the busy European hub, coinciding with one of the busiest travel days of the year at the start of summer vacations. Berlin Airport in Germany announced delays in check-in and suspended flights until 10 a.m. local time due to a technical fault. At Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport, some US-bound flights were delayed, while others remained unaffected.
In Australia, banks such as NAB, Commonwealth, and Bendigo, along with airlines Virgin Australia and Qantas, and internet and phone providers like Telstra, reported outages. Media outlets including ABC and Sky News faced broadcasting issues, with some news anchors broadcasting live online from dark offices in front of computers showing “blue screens of death.” Shoppers were unable to make payments at some supermarkets and stores due to payment system outages. New Zealand banks ASB and Kiwibank also reported service disruptions.
An X user posted a screenshot of an alert from the company CrowdStrike, indicating the company was aware of “reports of crashes on Windows hosts” related to its Falcon Sensor platform. The alert, posted on a password-protected CrowdStrike site, could not be verified. CrowdStrike did not respond to a request for comment.
