CHAOS erupted across the globe this morning as a Microsoft crash wreaked havoc on health, travel, banking and supermarket services.
Major airports, airlines, railways, GPs surgeries and retail giants have been hit by the CrowdStrike issue that sparked international disruption.
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Television channels, banks, GPs and supermarkets around the world have been rocked by the chaos.
Airports in the UK, Australia, Spain, Amsterdam, Germany, India, and the United States have so far been affected.
Cybersecurity software firm CrowdStrike say they have identified the issue behind the global outage as a flawed anti-viral update.
In a statement on social media, CrowdStrike said the global IT outage was “not a security incident or cyberattack”, adding: “The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed”.
NHS CHAOS
NHS GP surgeries have confirmed they are now unable to access patient records or book appointments.
Britain’s GPs
Practices have taken to social media to report they cannot access the EMIS Web system.
EMIS Web is the most widely used clinical system for primary care in the UK.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) also confirmed the IT outage is disrupting community pharmacies.
The Wilmslow Health Centre in Cheshire confirmed their system was down.
COBRA meeting
Earlier, the Liberal Democrats were calling for a COBRA meeting.
This stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A – a set of rooms where government meets during emergencies.
As reported by Sky News, it is understood these meetings have taken place insofar as official level meetings being in one of the COBRA rooms.
Pat McFadden wrote on X: “Many people are being affected by today’s IT outages impacting services across the country and globally.
“Ministers are working with their sectors and respective industries on the issue.
“I am in close contact with teams coordinating our response through the COBR response system.”
Meanwhile, Solihull Healthcare Partnership in the West Midlands said there is a “national issue” with EMIS Web and they are having trouble making appointments.
Central Lakes Medical Group in Ambleside, Cumbria reported patients would experience delays on phones until the issue is resolved.
Another post by Pocklington Group Practice in the East Riding of Yorkshire said appointments may need to be cancelled and rearranged.
Meanwhile, Hulme Hall Medical Group, based in Stockport, Manchester told patients they were unable to offer any appointments.
And, a GP practice in Oxfordshire has asked patients with “routine concerns” to wait until Monday amid an IT outage.
Elsewhere in the country, Grimethorpe Surgery in Barnsley reported it had no access to the clinical system, EMIS Web.
Another surgery in Putney, southwest London, is displaying an error message online to patients who attempt to book.
Global health services affected
There are reports of two German hospitals that have been forced to cancel emergency operations this morning.
The hospitals, in the northern German cities of Luebeck and Kiel, cancelled all elective operations scheduled for today.
Meanwhile, the emergency department of the Scheper hospital in the Netherlands has closed due to a global computer failure.
TRAVEL DISRUPTION
The mega IT outage has also sparked mass train cancellations and delays for passengers travelling this morning.
Train services affected in the UK
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has urged passengers to expect disruption due to “widespread IT issues”
Meanwhile Gatwick Express warned travellers they are “currently experiencing widespread IT issues”.
And, South Western Railway revealed all ticket vending machines are currently non operational, urging customers to buy tickets online.
National Rail confirmed some train operators are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice train cancellations
Another major railway company, TransPennine Express, told how some TPE stations and systems are having IT issues and suggested travellers buy tickets online.
International disruption
So far there have been reports of New York City’s MTA system being affected by the IT crash.
Commuters on Washington D.C Metro trains are also facing delays.
AIRLINE DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS
Holidaymakers at major airports around the globe are fuming as they face lengthy queues and flight cancellations today.
More than 100 planes had to be grounded in the UK because of the Microsoft outage, while over 1,300 were cancelled globally.
UK airports and airlines affected
Manchester Airport warned flyers there would be delays for those checking-in for Swissport flights.
And, London Gatwick confirmed passengers may experience some delays while checking in and passing through security.
However, they should still arrive for their normal check-in time, says the airport.
Popular budget airline Ryanair earlier advised passengers to go home.
CrowdStrike statement
Crowdstrike posted a message on their website which read: “Crowdstrike is aware of reports of crashes on Windows related the the Falcon Sensor.”
They say they are still “working on” fixing it but have since reverted back to the old system to prevent any further disruption.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, CrowdStrike president George Kurtz said the problem was caused by a “defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts”.
He said: “This is not a security incident or cyber attack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.
“We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website.
“We further recommend organisations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels.
“Our team is fully mobilised to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”
Mr Kurtz said the issue was not affecting Mac or Linux software.
Elsewhere in the UK, Edinburgh Airport reported wait times are longer than usual.
Stansted Airport in London also warned some airline check-in services have reverted to being done manually.
But main operational systems are still unaffected and flights are operating as normal.
Passengers have been supplied with water bottles at the London airport.
Meanwhile Luton Airport is also running manual systems which could spark some check-in delays.
One of the UKs busiest airports, Heathrow Airport, confirmed they are affected but are still flights operational.
A spokesperson advised checking with your airline on the latest journey information.
Bristol Airport has been cancelling flights to Amsterdam.
Global airports affected
Airports in Australia, Spain, Amsterdam, Germany, India, and the United States have also been hit by the huge IT problem.
Aviation analytics company Cirium said 1,078 flights have been cancelled globally.
American Airlines passengers were devastated this morning when all flights were cancelled.
United and Delta also told flyers no flights would be taking off until the issue was resolved.
Even smaller airlines have been hit, with Allegiant Air, Spirit Airlines, Frontier and SunCountry grounding planes.
Meanwhile, frustrated travellers at San Francisco Airport have been reporting suspended flights.
Microsoft Statement
Microsoft announced it is taking “mitigation actions” against the issues.
They said on X: “Our services are still seeing continuous improvements while we continue to take mitigation actions.
“We remain committed in treating this event with the highest priority and urgency while we continue to address the lingering impact for the remaining Microsoft 365 apps that are in a degraded state.”
Similar chaotic scenes have been spotted inside Detroit Metro Airport, with flyers sharing footage of ever-growing queues on social media.
Across the globe, Mumbai Airport revealed their check-in desks were shut down for IndiGo, Akasa and Spice Jet flights.
And, major Australian airline Qantas later kept all planes on the tarmac.
Schipol Airport in Amsterdam told holidaymakers that flights to and from the Netherlands are affected.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Spanish airport association AENA reported issues at 42 airports, including Ibiza and Palma Mallorca Airports.
Rome’s Fiumicino Airport also reported longer queue times
In Germany, Hamburg Airport and Berlin’s BER Airport were also rocked by the IT outage.
The Hague Airport in Rotterdam warned travellers they will be experiencing longer wait times.
Meanwhile, Narita International Airport in Narita, east of Tokyo urged travellers to be wary of check-in delays.
And, Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok reported longer queues, as Hong Kong Express Airways passengers have been delayed at Hong Kong International Airport.
SUPERMARKET ISSUES
In the UK, supermarket giant Morrisons has been affected, while some Waitrose and Co-ops are now only accepting cash.
Customers at Gails and Waterstones across the UK are also experiencing some issues.
Meanwhile Wetherspoons pub branches are declining card payments.
In Australia, Woolworths and Coles supermarkets reported self service machines not working.
Global services affected by IT outage
Trains
- Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – urged passengers to expect disruption due to “widespread IT issues”
- Gatwick Express – warned travellers they are “currently experiencing widespread IT issues”
- South Western Railway – all ticket vending machines are currently non operational – buy tickets online
- National Rail – some train operators are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice train cancellations
- TransPennine Express – some TPE stations and systems are having IT issues – buy tickets online
- New York City’s MTA system affected
- Washington D.C Metro trains – delayed
Airports and airlines
- Manchester Airport – delays for those checking-in for Swissport flights
- London Gatwick – passengers may experience some delays while checking in and passing through security but should still arrive for their normal check-in time
- Ryanair – advise passengers to arrive at the airport three hours in advance of their flight to avoid any disruptions
- Edinburgh Airport – wait times longer than usual
- Stansted Airport – some airline check-in services reverted to being done manually, but main operational systems are unaffected and flights are still operating as normal
- Luton Airport – running manual systems
- Heathrow Airport – affected but flights operational – check with airline on latest journey information
- Bristol Airport – flights cancelled to Amsterdam
- Belfast International Airport – delays
- American Airlines – all flights cancelled
- United and Delta – no flights taking off
- Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines – flights grounded
- Frontier and SunCountry – affected by outage
- San Francisco Airport – passengers reporting suspended flights
- Detroit Metro Airport – travellers sharing chaotic scenes of queues continuing to grow
- Mumbai Airport – check-in desks shut down for IndiGo, Akasa and Spice Jet flights
- Australian airline Qantas – flights grounded
- Schipol Airport in Amsterdam – flights to and from the Netherlands affected
- Spanish airport association AENA – reported issues at 42 airports
- Rome’s Fiumicino Airport affected
- Ibiza Airport – empty due to IT outage
- Hamburg Airport in Germany affected
- BER Berlin Airport – Long queues
- The Hague Airport in Rotterdam – travellers experiencing longer wait times
- Narita International Airport in Narita, east of Tokyo – check-in delays
- Palma Mallorca Airport affected
- Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok – longer queues reported
- Hong Kong Express Airways passengers delayed at Hong Kong International Airport
Television Networks
- Sky News – Friday morning breakfast show unable to air but now back on screens with reporter reading from printed notes
- Paramount Global channels including MTV, VH1, CMT and Pop TV – bumped offline.
Britain’s GPs
- The Wilmslow Health Centre in Cheshire – without access to their IT systems
- Solihull Healthcare Partnership in the West Midlands – affected ability to book/consult with patients this morning
- Central Lakes Medical Group in Ambleside – stated there has been a “big effect” and delays on the phone expected
- Pocklington Group Practice in the East Riding of Yorkshire – appointments needing to be cancelled and rearranged
- Hulme Hall Medical Group, in Stockport – unable to offer any appointments
- Windrush Medical Practice in Witney, Oxfordshire – continuing as normal for urgent enquiries but ask for routine concerns to wait until Monday
- Grimethorpe Surgery in Barnsley – no access to the clinical system, EMIS Web
- The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) confirmed the IT outage is disrupting community pharmacies
- A surgery in Putney, southwest London – Displaying an error message online to patients who attempt to book
Global hospitals
- Two German hospitals have been forced to cancel emergency operations
- The hospitals, in the northern German cities of Luebeck and Kiel, cancelled all elective operations scheduled for today
- The emergency department of the Scheper hospital is closed due to a global computer failure.
Supermarkets and restaurants
- Morrisons are affected
- Some Waitrose and Co-op are now cash only
- Gails and Waterstones experiencing some issues
- Wetherspoons pubs – only accepting cash
- Woolworths and Coles supermarkets in Australia – self service machines not working
Events
- Manchester United ticket release postponed – morning’s ticket release will be postponed until midday and website will remain unavailable
Banks and supermarkets in Australia including Beyond Bank Australia have also been experiencing issues this morning.
Various Microsoft services in Japan and New Zealand are also battling tech issues.
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