Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), the operator of Velana International Airport (VIA), has announced potential check-in delays due to a major global IT outage. This disruption has impacted major international airports in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, and Singapore, resulting in grounded flights and widespread travel chaos.
MACL issued a statement on the social media platform X, warning passengers of possible delays as airline IT systems worldwide have been affected by the outage. The company apologized for any inconvenience and expressed gratitude for passengers’ patience during this period.
The cause of the outage has been identified as a defective software update for Microsoft Windows hosts, confirmed by cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. Known for its expertise in cybersecurity and threat intelligence, Crowdstrike assured the public that the issue has been isolated and a fix deployed, emphasizing that it was not a cyberattack.
“The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed,” read Crowdstrike’s statement, aiming to reassure affected users and organizations. A spokesperson from Microsoft also told the BBC that “the majority of services were recovered” hours earlier.
The IT outage extended beyond airports, disrupting operations in major banks, broadcasting networks, hospitals, and businesses worldwide. Australia, particularly hard hit, saw broadcast networks struggling on air as systems failed, while several supermarkets faced standstills with their payment systems down.
This incident highlights the critical dependency on IT systems in various sectors and the far-reaching impact of such outages. As normalcy begins to return, organizations and passengers alike are navigating the aftermath of this significant disruption.
Comments are closed.