A major global IT outage is affecting airlines, media outlets, and banks, causing widespread disruptions.
Numerous flights have been grounded, resulting in long queues and delays at airports worldwide, including in New Zealand, Japan, India, Australia, and Amsterdam. U.S. airlines have issued a global ground stop, while Ryanair warns of potential disruptions across its network.
In the UK, railway companies are experiencing delays due to IT problems. Sky News has been unable to broadcast live, resuming briefly before facing further issues. The NHS GP system in England has also been affected, causing appointment booking issues at several GP surgeries.
Reports suggest that the outage may have been caused by a problematic software update from cybersecurity company Crowdstrike, leading to the “blue screen of death” on PCs.
New Zealand’s parliament and Alaska’s 911 emergency lines have reported IT problems as well.
Despite the disruptions, London’s Stansted Airport continues normal flight operations, though with long queues, and the London Stock Exchange reports no major issues apart from its news service. Sydney Airport experienced mild chaos but is now resuming normal operations.
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue, with its Azure and Office365 services being affected, and is working on mitigation.
The exact cause of the IT outage remains unclear, and efforts are underway to resolve the disruptions.