Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), the operator of Velana International Airport (VIA), has announced potential delays during check-ins due to a major global IT outage. This disruption has affected major international airports, including those in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, and Singapore, leading to 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 impacted by the outage. The company apologised 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 cyber security firm Crowdstrike. The company is renowned for its expertise in cybersecurity and threat intelligence, often collaborating with global enterprises to prevent cyberattacks and breaches. Crowdstrike assured the public that the issue has been isolated and a fix has been deployed, emphasising 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 organisations. 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 around the world. 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 illustrates the critical dependency on IT systems in various sectors and the far-reaching impact of such outages. As normalcy begins to return, organisations and passengers alike are left to navigate the aftermath of this significant disruption.
