July 19th 2024.
The chaos at Majorca Airport was palpable as travelers were left stranded due to a massive global computer outage. This catastrophic event has caused major disruptions in the aviation industry, with dozens of airports and airlines reporting issues with their IT systems. The root of the problem was a security update from US cybersecurity service CrowdStrike, which caused a malfunction in Microsoft Windows.
Passengers all over the world were facing long queues and delays as the glitch paralyzed the aviation industry. Airports in Spain, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, and more were affected, leaving travelers frustrated and stressed. The situation was constantly evolving, and people were advised to follow The Agency's live blog for the latest updates on the Microsoft outage.
In the UK, major airports like Heathrow, Gatwick, and Edinburgh were warning passengers of long delays and disruptions. Data from Downdetector showed that Ryanair had the highest number of reports, followed by Wizzair and British Airways. The chaos was not limited to Europe, as even airports in the US were facing issues. London Gatwick Airport also experienced delays, adding to the chaos.
To cope with the situation, some airlines resorted to issuing handwritten tickets, while some airports relied on whiteboards to update passengers. The scenes at BER Berlin Airport were chaotic, with long queues forming at check-in counters due to the IT outage. According to Crowdstrike, the problem was caused by a "defect" in one of its software updates, and they assured that it was not triggered by a security incident or cyber attack.
Microsoft, the maker of the affected software, has announced that the underlying cause has been fixed. However, there may still be some residual impact affecting some Office 365 apps and services. The disruptions to airline operations have also caused delays at two major Paris airports, adding to the frustration of travelers. The IT outage has been felt all over the world, with even major airports like Gatwick, Heathrow, and Edinburgh being affected.
The chaos caused by the IT outage has been captured in photos and videos shared on social media. One such image showed a traveler using her phone to photograph a departures board displaying blue error screens, also known as the "Blue Screen of Death." Security consultant Troy Hunt expressed his concern, stating, "I don't think it's too early to call it: this will be the largest IT outage in history." He added, "This is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it's actually happened this time."
Even Tesla chief executive Elon Musk couldn't resist commenting on the situation, writing on social media, "Biggest IT fail ever," followed by "Microsoft" next to an angry emoji face. The chaos caused by the IT outage has affected people all over the world, causing frustration and delays. As the situation continues to unfold, travelers and airlines are left to deal with the aftermath of this unprecedented event.
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