Massive Worldwide Microsoft Outage: Flights, Markets, Stock Exchange Down

From flights to supermarkets to banking operations, the global Microsoft outage is disrupting multiple sectors and threatens to lead to massive issues if it is not resolved soon. In India, almost all air carriers -- Vistara, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa Air -- are facing technical issues that are affecting booking, check-in and flight updates. The airlines are now checking in passengers manually. 

"We're currently facing a technical issue in providing updates on flight disruptions. Our team is actively working to resolve this issue. We regret for any inconvenience caused and will update you once the issue is resolved. Thank you for your patience and co-operation," Spicejet has said in a post on X.

#TravelUpdate: Due to infrastructure issues with our service provider, some of our online services, including booking, check-in and manage booking services will be temporarily unavailable. Currently we are following manual check-in and boarding processes at the airports and hence…

— Akasa Air (@AkasaAir) July 19, 2024

Akasa Air said some of their online services are currently unavailable. "Due to infrastructure issues with our service provider, some of our online services, including booking, check-in and manage booking services will be temporarily unavailable. Currently we are following manual check-in and boarding processes at the airports and hence request passengers with immediate travel plans to reach the airport early to check-in at our counters," Akasa Air posted on X.

Our systems are currently impacted by a Microsoft outage, which is also affecting other companies. During this time booking, check-in, access to your boarding pass, and some flights may be impacted. We appreciate your patience.

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) July 19, 2024

IndiGo, too, has put out a statement. "Our systems are currently impacted by a Microsoft outage, which is also affecting other companies. During this time booking, check-in, access to your boarding pass, and some flights may be impacted. We appreciate your patience," it said.

Vistara has also mentioned technical challenges. "We're experiencing technical challenges across various aspects of our operations due to a global outage at our service provider's end. We are working with them to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We regret any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience," it has said in a post on X.

Delhi airport has said that some services have been affected. "Due to the global IT issue, some of the services at the Delhi Airport were temporarily impacted. We are closely working with all our stakeholders to minimise the inconvenience to our flyers. Passengers are requested to be in touch with the airline concerned or the help desk on ground for updated flight information. We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers," they said in a statement. 

Due to the global IT issue, some of the services at the Delhi Airport were temporarily impacted.

We are closely working with all our stakeholders to minimise the inconvenience to our flyers.

— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) July 19, 2024

Systems are also down at Bengaluru airport. Nearly 90 per cent of flights operating in terminal 1 have been disrupted and the situation may control till midnight. 

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has said that the ministry and Airports Authority of India are using manual methods to ensure minimal disruption. "I have directed airport authorities and airlines to be compassionate and provide extra seating, water, and food for passengers affected by delays. We understand your concerns and are working tirelessly to ensure your safe and swift travel. Your patience and cooperation are greatly appreciated," he said. 

Among the countries worst affected is Australia. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the outage has hit ABC News 24 that struggled to play news packages. The crisis then hit Woolworths supermarkets where checkout systems crashed due to the outage. Several customers also complained that their cards are not working. Police systems went down too.

Melbourne airport said in a statement that check-in process of several airlines are affected due to a global technology issue. Virgin Australia has said the outage is preventing all planes from coming and going at Sydney Airport. "The airline has put a stop on in-and-out flights, so it's a complete ground stop; there's no flights coming in and there's no flights going out," a staff member said at the Virgin Australia lounge, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The London Stock Exchange, reports said, has been affected by the outage. The US' Federal Aviation Administration has said all flights from several major US airlines – including Delta, United and American Airlines – were grounded Friday morning due to a communication issue. 911 emergency services in several states of the US have been hit too. British news channel Sky News is off air for hours now.

As for Europe, technical issues are causing check-in delays in Amsterdam. At Berlin Brandenburg airport in Germany, flight operations had to cancelled due to the "technical problem", a spokeswoman told AFP. She said she cannot say when flight movement would resume. Zurich airport, the largest in Switzerland, suspended all flight arrivals because of the tech outage, AFP has reported.

Millions of Windows users worldwide are experiencing the Blue Screen of Death that is causing computers to shut down or restart. In some cases, computers are restarting repeatedly, affecting services as users lose unsaved data and critical time.

As the systems shut down, a message on the screen says, "Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We're just collecting some error info, and then we'll restart for you."

Blue Screen errors, also known as black screen errors or STOP code errors, can occur when a critical issue forces Windows to unexpectedly shut down or restart.

Microsoft 365 has said in a statement that they are investigating the issue.