The issues, which began on the night from Thursday to Friday, include international flight delays, inability to check in online, blocked reservations for flights and trains, and difficulties accessing online banking and media services.
Microsoft is working to resolve the issue, stating, “We are aware that the problem is affecting some of our customers. We understand the impact this may have and are working to restore services as quickly as possible for those still experiencing disruptions.”
Massive flight disruptions and airport delays
The outage has led to widespread flight cancellations and delays, particularly affecting airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Allegiant Air, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Eurowings, and SAS.
Operations at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) in Germany and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam have been temporarily suspended. Passenger service delays are also reported at Prague Airport, Brussels, and many airports in Spain.
Additionally, low-cost carrier Ryanair, Swiss air traffic control company Swissguide, and Swissport, which manages passenger and cargo services at airports worldwide, have reported issues.
At some airports (including in Belfast, Ireland), electronic display boards have been replaced with makeshift paper substitutes.
Healthcare, rail services, and electronic payments affected
Affected countries include the USA, Australia, China, Turkey, Spain, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, France, Norway, and India.
In Germany, two hospitals in Lübeck and Kiel canceled planned surgeries due to the outage, though patient care and emergency services continue without disruption.
In Japan, rail services have been halted, and similar issues have affected the UK’s largest rail operator, Govia Thameslink Railway. In Australia and New Zealand, disruptions extend to telecommunications and aviation services, while electronic payment issues are impacting customers of institutions like the Commonwealth Bank.
Source: IAR/AFP/Reuters/PAP/BBC/Sky News/x.com
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