• By Vivek Raj
  • Sat, 20 Jul 2024 09:27 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND

A massive IT outage on Friday disrupted businesses and services worldwide, affecting airlines, banks, TV channels, and financial institutions. The outage, one of the largest in recent years, was caused by a malfunctioning software update to Microsoft Windows users from CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm specialising in cloud-based companies. While systems are gradually being restored, delays and disruptions are expected to persist.

In India, airports issued handwritten boarding passes as airlines’ systems were shut. Airlines have reported that departures and arrivals are gradually resuming, but delays are expected to continue. On Saturday morning, passengers can be seen in long queues at different airports across the nation.

IndiGo Flight Updates

Following the IT outrage, IndiGo on Friday canceled over 200 flights, significantly impacting operations. Airports witnessed chaos as passengers were stranded at airports across the country. Several passengers also alleged that the airline did not even provide them with their baggage.

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In the wee hours of Saturday, IndiGo took to X and wrote, "The global outage that led to operational difficulties is nearly resolved, and our teams have made significant progress in restoring normal operations. However, customers may still experience delays and schedule disruptions over the weekend."

IndiGo Airlines on Friday informed passengers that the option to rebook or claim a refund was temporarily unavailable.

SpiceJet Airlines Updates

SpiceJet reported zero cancellations despite the global outage. The airline announced that bookings are open on all platforms and praised their team and passengers for their patience during the technical turbulence.

SpiceJet posted on X, "The global technical outage is fixed, and SpiceJet bookings are open on all platforms." 

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Cause Of The Microsoft Outage

Microsoft identified CrowdStrike's update as the root cause of the global outage. CrowdStrike acknowledged that a problem with their Falcon Sensor caused Windows systems to crash with "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD) errors. Despite rolling back the faulty update, millions of systems remained inactive for hours, causing widespread disruption. While businesses and services are making strides toward recovery, the impact of the global IT outage is expected to linger.