Experts warn of potential “weeks” long recovery for global IT outage affecting over 5,000 flights.
The software bug that caused the widespread IT outage on Friday morning has had a major impact on businesses and travelers alike. The issue, which originated from an update by global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, caused many Microsoft Windows PCs to crash, displaying a “blue screen of death” on screens.
As a result, travel cancellations were reported and access to vital systems, such as those used by the NHS, were hindered. Initial fears of a cyber attack were later put to rest by the company’s founder, George Kurtz, who confirmed that it was a bug in the update that caused the disruption.
While a fix has been implemented, Kurtz stated that it would still take “some time” before all systems are fully restored. Industry experts, such as Adam Leon Smith of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, warn that it could take “weeks” for a complete recovery, as the fix needs to be applied to computers all around the world.
The impact of the outage was evident early on Friday as airlines around the globe began to warn of delays and cancellations. By 8pm, 5,078 flights worldwide had been grounded, which is equivalent to 4.6% of all scheduled flights globally, according to Cirium Data, an aviation analytics company. In the UK alone, 167 flights have been cancelled, which accounts for 5.4% of departures, and 171 inbound arrivals were also affected.
Passengers at UK airports reported long queues and waits of up to three hours as systems, including check-in, eGates, and departure boards, failed. Staff had to resort to handwriting boarding passes and using whiteboards to display departure information in an attempt to keep passengers moving.
The impact was not limited to the travel industry, as the outage also affected the NHS and other businesses. According to CrowdStrike chief George Kurtz, “the majority of GP practices” in England and two-thirds in Northern Ireland were impacted. South Western Railway also reported that their ticket vending machines had failed, and customers experienced issues with supermarket payments, online banking, and communication systems, such as Microsoft Teams.
Kurtz appeared on NBC’s Today Show on Friday to address the situation, stating “We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this.” He reassured that many customers were able to reboot their systems with the fix, but for those that are still experiencing issues, they are working with them to ensure a full recovery. However, he acknowledged that it could take some time for certain systems to recover automatically.
The full impact of the IT outage is still being assessed, and updates will be provided as the situation develops.
