July 19th 2024.
At a department store in Brisbane, Australia, people were surprised to see a blue error screen on one of the registers. It was a sign that the store was experiencing a cyber outage, which was also affecting other businesses around the world. Airlines, major banks, and news organizations were among those that were knocked offline due to a major IT outage.
The impact of this glitch was significant, with flights being grounded in the US, Australia, and Germany. Even airports in the UK were experiencing issues with their boarding pass scanners. News outlets, such as Sky News, were also affected and unable to broadcast. It was chaos for commuters as well, with Britain's biggest train company warning of disruptions during rush hour due to widespread IT issues.
Among the major institutions affected were airlines, including London Gatwick airport. They posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that they were experiencing delays due to the global Microsoft issues. However, they reassured passengers to still arrive at their normal check-in time. London Stansted Airport also reported manual check-in services due to the IT outage, but flights were still operating as usual.
Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, the IT outage was causing longer waiting times. Ryanair, a major airline, also announced that their flights were being disrupted and advised passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before their scheduled departure time. In Berlin, all flights were halted until 10 am due to a technical fault.
The issue was not limited to airlines, as major US carriers like American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines experienced communication issues and issued ground stops. Train services were also affected, with Govia Thameslink Railway warning of delays and TransPennine Express informing passengers of IT issues and the option to purchase tickets on board.
News organizations were not spared from the IT outage either. Sky News was knocked off air online, and their statement apologized for the interruption and hoped to restore the transmission shortly. Banks, including NatWest, HSBC, Santander, and Lloyds Bank, also reported issues, as well as problems with Visa. The London Stock Exchange also faced tech issues, causing delays in company results and announcements.
The impact even reached medical services, with GP surgeries unable to access patient records or book appointments due to the global IT outage. NHS England was contacted for comment, and practices took to social media to inform patients of the issue. The most widely used clinical system for primary care in the UK, EMIS Web, was also affected.
The Solihull Healthcare Partnership apologized for the disruption and informed patients of the national issue with EMIS Web. The Wilmslow Health Centre in Cheshire also announced that all practices using the NHS commissioned GP computer system were without access to their IT systems. They asked for patience until the systems were back online, and NHS England was contacted for comment.
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