Flight delays and cancellations are expected to continue into the weekend following a global IT outage that has disrupted numerous sectors, including air travel, healthcare, and finance.
Scale of Disruption
On Friday, 167 flights scheduled to depart from UK airports were cancelled, and a further 171 inbound flights were also affected. The disruptions stemmed from a flawed update rolled out by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which caused significant issues for airports, hospitals, and various other institutions.
Passenger Woes
Passengers across the UK have been urged to check with their airlines for any updates on delays or cancellations before heading to the airport. Airports such as London Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, and Belfast International have all been affected.
A spokesperson for London Gatwick said:
Following earlier global issues, our airport IT systems are now operating as normal, and we expect the majority of our flights to operate as usual tomorrow. Some delays and cancellations will, however, continue this evening and over the weekend. We strongly advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest updates.”
Similarly, a Manchester Airport spokesperson mentioned:
“Check-in and boarding for the affected airlines are being carried out manually and are taking longer than normal resulting in some long queues at check-in. Some flights may be impacted by delays, and schedules have been affected by issues caused by the effects of the global IT outage at airports all over the world. This means some flights could be canceled by airlines at short notice.”
Extent of the IT Outage
CrowdStrike’s CEO George Kurtz issued an apology and stated that the outage was not a result of a security or cyber incident but rather a “sensor configuration” that triggered a logic error. He added that while the underlying issue has been fixed, it will take some time for all systems to be fully restored.
Aviation analytics company Cirium reported that 5,078 flights—or 4.6% of those scheduled—were cancelled globally on Friday.
Beyond Air Travel
The National Pharmacy Association has warned of continued disruption to pharmacy services throughout the weekend as they manage a backlog of medicine deliveries.
Adam Leon Smith of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, warned that the recovery process could take weeks:
“The fix will have to be applied to many computers around the world. So if computers are getting blue screens and endless loops, it could be more difficult and take days and weeks.”
Expert Insights
Professor Ciaran Martin, founding chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), echoed these sentiments, stating:
“The underlying problem is fixed, and the fixes are being implemented. Some industries can recover quickly, but others like aviation will have long backlogs. That said, I’d be surprised if we were still facing serious problems this time next week.”
Security Concerns
As systems recover, experts have warned users to remain vigilant against potential scams. CrowdStrike’s CEO emphasized the importance of engaging with official representatives and being alert to suspicious emails or messages. The NCSC has already observed an increase in phishing attempts related to the outage.
Conclusion
Passengers are advised to stay updated through official channels and to remain patient as the global IT systems continue their recovery. The impact of this outage highlights the vulnerability of interconnected systems and the far-reaching consequences of technical failures.
