Companies around the world faced disruptions due to a Microsoft cloud service outage on Friday. Flights were grounded, news stations couldn’t broadcast, and brokerage operations were hindered. The outage hit primarily in Australia, the US, the UK, and India, affecting banks, media, stock markets, government offices, and airports.
Downdetector, a website that tracks internet outages, reported issues with Microsoft services like Azure and Microsoft 365 globally, including 1,751 outages in the US alone. Microsoft acknowledged the problem, which began around 6 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, impacting several Azure services in the Central US region. They are working to fix the issues with Microsoft 365 apps and services.
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, reported issues with their Falcon Sensor software causing Windows to crash, resulting in the infamous Blue Screen of Death. CEO George Kurtz apologized and promised to assist all affected customers.
In Pakistan, the impact was minimal with only a few outages reported. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority noted that some PCs and servers were stuck in recovery loops but were quickly resolved.
In the US, major airlines like American, Delta, and United grounded flights due to communication issues shortly after Microsoft resolved the outage. The FAA did not immediately comment.
In Australia and New Zealand, banks, airlines, and media were hit by the outage. Commonwealth Bank faced money transfer issues, Qantas flights were delayed, and some police systems were affected. Telstra and other companies thanked customers for their patience.
Indian airlines like IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet faced disruptions too. Airports in Delhi and Goa experienced technical glitches, causing delays and manual check-ins.
In Europe, airports like Madrid-Barajas, Schiphol, Berlin, and London Gatwick were also affected. Passengers faced long waits and limited information. Some airlines used handwritten boarding passes and whiteboards to communicate gate information.
Despite the chaos, some airlines and airports managed to return to normal operations with minimal delays.
