Global IT systems are gradually resuming after an unprecedented computer failure disrupted operations worldwide for hours from Thursday evening into Friday.
Businesses, banks, hospitals, and airlines were severely affected by a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
Yesterday, 6,855 flights were cancelled globally, accounting for 6.2% of all scheduled flights, according to the BBC. Despite improvements, CrowdStrike’s issues continue to have a lingering impact.
As of 10 am today, 1,639 flights had been cancelled worldwide, as reported by airline data company Cirium. China was among the least affected countries due to its lower dependence on Microsoft.
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz apologised for the outage on X, confirming the problem had been fixed but warning that it could take some time before all systems are fully operational. In an interview with CNBC, Kurtz noted that while some systems could be restored immediately, others might take longer.
Airline sector one of hardest hit
The airline industry, one of the hardest-hit sectors, is slowly returning to normal. However, operators expect some delays and cancellations to persist through the weekend.
According to CNN, hundreds of flights in the US were cancelled or delayed on Tuesday morning, with more than 3,000 flights cancelled and over 11,000 delayed on Wednesday.
Experts cited by the Guardian emphasised the outage highlighted concerns about organisations’ preparedness for IT system failures. They stressed the need for better-protected networks and improved backup systems to mitigate future disruptions.
At Fiumicino airport, flights are gradually returning to normal after yesterday’s disruptions caused by Microsoft’s IT failure. Most airline systems were back in operation by late afternoon, resulting in significant improvements. While some delays remain, the situation has improved markedly.
As of this morning, only two flights, to Tirana and Turin, were cancelled, and about twenty flights were delayed by 30 to 60 minutes. Passengers stranded overnight are being accommodated on the earliest available flights.
Italian hospitals reported no disruptions from the Microsoft outage. Giovanni Migliore, president of Fiaso, confirmed no anomalies were reported by Italian ASLs and hospitals. Fiaso activated a monitoring system early on to ensure real-time communication of any issues, which fortunately did not occur.
Migliore praised the operators and technical teams for maintaining the stability of the healthcare infrastructure and emphasised the ongoing vigilance to monitor the situation.
