A global Microsoft outage is wreaking havoc across multiple sectors, affecting everything from airlines and supermarkets to banking operations. This outage underscores the critical dependency many industries have on Microsoft’s cloud services. If not resolved promptly, the consequences could be severe worldwide.
Airlines in India
In India, three major airlines — IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air — are facing significant technical issues due to the outage. Essential services such as booking, check-in, and flight updates are disrupted, forcing the airlines to switch to manual check-in processes. IndiGo Acknowledged the disruption and requested patience from passengers. Akasa Air Informed passengers about the temporary unavailability of some online services and advised early arrival at the airport for manual check-in.
Delhi Airport also reported temporary impacts on some of its services due to the global IT issue. Airport authorities are working closely with stakeholders to minimize inconvenience and have urged passengers to stay in touch with their respective airlines for updated flight information.
Australia’s Struggles
Australia is one of the worst-affected countries by the global Microsoft outage. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the disruption has led to significant issues across various sectors. Woolworths supermarkets have experienced crashes in their checkout systems, while ABC News 24 has faced broadcasting problems. Banking and police systems are also impacted, with several customers reporting card failures and other issues. Melbourne Airport has seen disruptions in the check-in process for several airlines, and Virgin Australia has implemented a ground stop at Sydney Airport, halting all incoming and outgoing flights.
European and American Disruptions
The outage has had a broad impact across Europe and the United States. At London Stock Exchange Operational difficulties reported. The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights from major airlines like Delta, United, and American Airlines due to communication issues. The 911 Services were affected in several states. British news channel Sky News went off the air. Technical issues causing check-in delays in Amsterdam Airport. Berlin Brandenburg Airport cancelled flight operations due to technical problems.
Windows Users and Microsoft’s Response
Millions of Windows users worldwide are experiencing the Blue Screen of Death, causing their computers to shut down or restart unexpectedly. This issue is leading to repeated restarts in some cases, resulting in lost unsaved data and critical time for users.
Microsoft 365 has acknowledged the problem and stated that they are investigating the issue. The outage, which began on Thursday evening, affected multiple Azure services in the Central US region, impacting service management operations and the connectivity or availability of services.
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the government is actively communicating with Microsoft to address the global outage affecting flights, supermarkets, banking operations, stock markets, and various other sectors worldwide. The minister confirmed that the cause of the outage has been identified and updates have been released to resolve the issue.
This incident underscores the extensive impact that a single outage can have across multiple industries and geographies. It demonstrates the crucial role of reliable cloud infrastructure in modern operations. As Microsoft works to resolve the issue, businesses and individuals alike are coping with significant disruptions to their daily operations and services.
(With inputs from agencies)
