Flight cancellations set to drag on through weekend after global Crowdstrike IT outage
Airlines, GPs and pharmacies have warned that the impact of Friday's global IT crash will continue to be felt through the weekend and beyond, ITV News Reporter Caroline Lewis reports
Flight delays and cancellations are expected to continue into the weekend after a global IT outage, as experts warned it could take weeks for systems to fully recover.
A flawed update rolled out by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike knocked many offline around the world on Friday, causing flight and train cancellations and crippling some healthcare systems.
A fix was deployed for a bug in the update, which affected Microsoft Windows PCs, on Friday afternoon, with the chief executive of the company at the centre of the outage warning it would take “some time” for systems to be fully restored.
George Kurtz also apologised for events, saying he is “deeply sorry”, and made clear it was “not a security or cyber incident”.
He said a fix had been deployed for a bug in an update which affected Microsoft Windows PCs, causing many to crash, some displaying the so-called “blue screen of death”, and become unusable. CrowdStrike confirmed Apple Mac and Linux users were unaffected.
In the UK, the travel misery was compounded as more than 330 scheduled arrival and departure flights were cancelled, compared to more than 5,000 globally.
According to travel journalist Simon Calder, at least 45 flights had been cancelled to and from UK airports on Saturday.
Banks, supermarkets and television broadcasts also reported widespread issues to services, with Waitrose and Sky News among those to be impacted in the UK.
The delays came as many UK schools were about to close their doors for the summer holidays.
Industry expert Adam Leon Smith of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, warned that it could even take “weeks” for all computers and systems to be fully restored.
“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,” he said.
Professor Ciaran Martin, the founding chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), also said it was hard to estimate how long it would take to recover from the outage.
He said: “The underlying problem is fixed and the fixes are being implemented. Some industries can recovery 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.”
A spokesperson from Gatwick Airport said that while systems are now "operating as normal", “some delays and cancellations will however continue this evening and over the weekend", advising passengers to check with their airlines for updates.
Manchester Airport said check-in and boarding was being carried out manually and was taking longer than usual, resulting in long-queues.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said the government was working "at pace with industry" to address IT issues causing train and air disruption.
Senior Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden said: "What this incident shows is just how dependent we are on IT systems.
"It is really important, because we're so reliant on these systems, that the fix is put in place as soon as possible."
NHS England said most GP practices were affected, with pharmacies also reporting disruption, and ambulance services facing increases in 999 and NHS 111 calls from patients who were unable to contact other NHS providers.
The government's crisis officials are coordinating a response, and the Cobra system that deals with matters of national emergency or major disruption has been activated.
Speaking on NBC's Today Show, Mr Kurtz said CrowdStrike is "working" with its customers around the world, adding: "It is our mission to make sure every customer is fully recovered. We're not going to relent until we get every customer back to where they were."
Asked if he ever thought an outage of this scale was possible, he said: "Software is a very complex world and there's a lot of interactions, and always staying ahead of the adversary is a tall task."
Trains
Passengers using Britain's largest train company were warned of disruption and urged to check before they travel.
All four of Govia Thameslink Railway’s brands - Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern - posted on social media: "We are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice cancellations, particularly on the Thameslink and Great Northern networks.
"Additionally, other key systems, including our real-time customer information platforms, are also affected."
Train operator TransPennine Express (TPE) also said it had been affected by the IT outage, and asked passengers to buy tickets on trains if they are unable to do so at stations.
NHS
An NHS spokesperson said the majority of GP practices have been impacted, but that long-standing measures, such as paper patient records and handwritten prescriptions, are in place.
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust declared a critical incident, due to the outages' impact on radiotherapy services.
Some GP surgeries reported being unable to access patient records or book appointments due to the outage.
The National Pharmacy Association warned that pharmacy services are likely to see delays as outlets deal with a backlog of medicine deliveries.
Air travel
Cancellations and delays have been reported in airports across the world, and throughout the UK.
According to analytics company Cirium, 167 flights departing from the UK and 171 incoming cancelled on Friday. It said 5,078 flights – or 4.6% of those scheduled – were cancelled globally.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said the IT issues were impacting some airlines' check-in systems, baggage and security, and eGates.
"Passengers should still arrive for their normal check-in time, which is typically two hours ahead of the flight time for short-haul, and three hours for long-haul," they said.
London Stansted Airport said some airline check-in services are being done manually as a result of the IT outage, but "flights are still operating as normal".
Edinburgh Airport said the IT outage was causing longer waiting times.
Affected airline Ryanair issued a statement to customers, and said affected passengers will be notified.
It reads: "We advise passengers to arrive at the airport three hours in advance of their flight to avoid any disruptions.
"We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by this 3rd party IT issue, which is outside of Ryanair's control and affect all airlines operating across the network."
Wizz Air said it had suspended its fees for airport check-in as its online systems are unavailable due to the IT outage.
Hundreds of passengers have been affected at airports across the country including Stansted, as summer holidays get under way
Heathrow said contingency plans were being implemented, as "select systems" are being impacted.
Bristol Airport said some of its retailers are unable to accept card payments, and advised passengers to check with their airlines before travelling.
Liverpool and Manchester airports reported being somewhat affected.
"We are seeing an impact, it is affecting some airlines, but not all, at check-in," a spokesperson for Liverpool airport said.
Manchester Airport said the outage had affected ground handling services, with check-in and boarding taking longer than usual, but most flights are reportedly unaffected.
Glasgow Airport said it was largely unaffected by the IT outage, and Belfast International Airport said it remains operational.
Air traffic control provider Nats said it was also unaffected.
Ports and ferries
The Port of Dover announced in a post on X that it was also affected.
"We are currently experiencing IT outages and are processing traffic through border control. Dwell times were slightly longer for check-ins this morning, but this has been resolved. Queue in the buffer zone is 40 minutes," a statement read.
Banks and shops
Payment issues have been reported both online and in shops.
Customers reported being unable to pay at coffee chain Gail's and Waitrose, warning online orders and in-store payments were affected.
Replying to a customer's post on X, the supermarket chain said: "Please be assured we are aware of a current issue with our payment system and working to resolve this issue."
According to Downdetector, customers reported outages using digital payment network Visa.
A spokesperson for payments firm Visa said: "There is no indication of any impact on Visa's ability to process payments from this issue."
Elsewhere, gambling company Ladbrokes has confirmed it has been affected, and apologised for the inconvenience.
Whipsnade and London Zoos had reported their payment systems being down.
Television broadcasts
Sky News went off-air on Friday morning for at least an hour before eventually coming back for around five minutes. It then went down once more and later returned again.
Watch as Sky News returned to air after the channel was down for at least an hour.
A statement on its online page, YouTube and TV channel said earlier: "We apologise for the interruption to this broadcast. We hope to restore the transmission of Sky News shortly."
News outlets in Australia - including the ABC and Sky News - were unable to broadcast on their TV and radio channels, and reported sudden shutdowns of Windows-based computers.
Finance
The London Stock exchange said securities trading was unaffected by the outage, but its regulatory news service was not working on Friday morning.
London markets dropped in value after news of the IT failure, which has caused issues around the world for banks, supermarkets, airlines and other major institutions.
The FTSE 100 finished 49.17 points, or 0.6% lower, to end the day at 8,155.72, as investors were spooked by the outage potentially hitting companies' bottom lines if it goes on too long.
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