Some U.S. flights resume after outages disrupted businesses around the world

Delta and United Airlines resumed some flights Friday morning, hours after a massive technology outage grounded aircraft worldwide.

The big picture: There were reports of massive online outages disrupting travel, banking and news outlets worldwide on Friday, as CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company that services multiple industries, went down across the world.

George Kurtz, president and CEO of CrowdStrike, said in a post to X the company was “actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts.”
It was not immediately clear if the outages were connected to Microsoft’s earlier issues, though Australian telecommunications company Telstra said in a post to X: “If you’re having holdups when trying to reach us this afternoon, it’s because of a global issue affecting both Microsoft and CrowdStrike.”
CrowdStrike said Friday morning that “the issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it is “closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at U.S. airlines” and that several airlines had requested “assistance with ground stops for their fleets.”
The FAA alert came roughly an hour after Microsoft overcame a cloud services outage that hit several low-cost carriers, per Reuters.
Zoom out: In the U.K., the National Health Service’s system that coordinates appointments for family doctors was disrupted, broadcaster Sky News went off air and railway firms reported delays due to “widespread” technology issues, per the BBC.

The outages also impacted the media, banks and government departments in New Zealand and Australia.
The Australian National Emergency Management Agency convened a meeting that reportedly included water and energy authorities, with retailers and communications providers invited.
In South Africa, Capitec Bank, one of the country’s largest banks, confirmed in a post to X that it was “experiencing nationwide service issues, affecting all services” amid the “international issue which is affecting multiple banks and retailers.”
What they’re saying: A United spokesperson said in an emailed statement Friday morning that a “third party software outage is impacting computer systems worldwide,” including at the airline.

In an updated statement Friday, United said it was “resuming some flights but expect schedule disruptions to continue throughout Friday.”
An American Airlines spokesperson said in a Friday morning email that a ground stop in place was impacting departing flights and the company was in contact with its planes “currently in flight.”

The airline was “aware of a technical issue with CrowdStrike that is impacting multiple carriers” and it was working with the cybersecurity firm in an effort to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, per the statement.
Delta confirmed late Friday morning that it had “resumed some flight departures” but that “additional delays and cancelations are expected.”

State of play: Frontier Airlines briefly grounded all flights on Thursday after being “impacted by a Microsoft outage,” which it noted in a post to X was “also affecting other companies.”

Microsoft said in an online update that “many customers” in the Central U.S. region “experienced issues” with its Azure cloud computing platform services, “including failures with service management operations and connectivity or availability of services” from around 6pm ET.
Representatives for Microsoft did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
However, the Azure status page indicated later Thursday that these issues had been resolved.
Several airports — including Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport — confirmed late-morning Friday that some flights were resuming.
Zoom in: The Phoenix Police Department said Friday that it had successfully restored systems to its 911 dispatch center, which had been impacted by the outage.

Our thought bubble, via Axios’ Alex Fitzpatrick: Even after these ground stops are lifted, travelers should brace for delays throughout the day as airlines work to get their planes into their scheduled positions.

On Friday, Delta and United Airlines resumed some flights following a significant technology outage that grounded aircraft worldwide. The incident is part of a larger series of global outages affecting various sectors, including travel, banking, and media.

technology outage disrupted several U.S. airlines. Delta and United Airlines began resuming flights on Friday morning, but delays and cancellations are expected to persist.
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company, experienced a defect in a content update for Windows hosts, impacting various industries. This coincided with a Microsoft cloud services outage that affected several low-cost carriers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is closely monitoring the situation, with some airlines requesting ground stops.

The outages affected multiple sectors worldwide:
– In the UK, the NHS system, Sky News, and railway services were disrupted.
– In Australia and New Zealand, media, banks, and government departments faced issues.
– South Africa’s Capitec Bank reported nationwide service disruptions.

CEO George Kurtz announced that the issue had been identified and a fix deployed.
A spokesperson confirmed the impact on global computer systems and ongoing schedule disruptions.

Reported ground stops and collaboration with CrowdStrike to resolve the issue.

Resumed some departures but anticipates further delays and cancellations.

Temporarily grounded flights due to a Microsoft outage, which also affected other companies.

Australian emergency authorities held meetings with water and energy authorities, retailers, and communication providers.

Microsoft resolved its Azure cloud computing platform issues late Thursday, and some affected airports have resumed flights.

The Phoenix Police Department restored systems to its 911 dispatch center, which was impacted by the outage.

Travelers should prepare for ongoing delays as airlines work to reposition their aircraft. The widespread nature of these outages highlights vulnerabilities in global digital infrastructure, prompting businesses and governments to reassess their cybersecurity measures.

This expanded content provides a comprehensive view of the incident’s impact, responses from various entities, and the broader implications for cybersecurity and infrastructure resilience.

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