On Friday, a widespread technology outage caused disruption to businesses and services around the world, with flights canceled, banks offline, and media outlets going off the air. It also exposed reliance on software from a small number of vendors.
Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said the outage was not caused by a security breach or cyberattack.
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said the issue had been identified, isolated, and a fix had been released. He said the issue was created for Windows users of the tool due to a recent update.
The outage caused disruption to airlines and airports around the world.
According to airline tracking site Flight Aware, more than 300 flights were delayed and more than 100 were canceled at the New York City area's three largest airports — JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty in New Jersey — as of Friday.
The city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said local train and bus services were unaffected but advised travelers not to head to the airport unless their flight status was confirmed.
United Airlines said the outage was affecting its computer systems and warned customers of potential flight delays. The airline said some flights were resuming and it was issuing waivers on its website to make it easier to change travel plans.
Eurowings said on Friday it had to cancel domestic flights between Germany and the UK. Lufthansa's budget subsidiary said a computer outage had disrupted check-in and boarding procedures. The airline urged people travelling within Germany to reserve train tickets and submit them for refunds.
Several low-cost carriers in South Korea have reported problems, which have led to delays in boarding passengers at Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s largest airport. Jeju Air said on its website that it was experiencing problems with ticketing and other services. Air Premia said key services on its website, such as ticket booking, cancellation and online check-in, were not working. The Eastar Jet website was unavailable early Friday evening.
Automated border control systems at two airports in Bangkok have reportedly been affected by a technical outage.
Airport Authority of Thailand Chairman, Kerati Kijimanawat.
He added that ground operations of several airlines at Thailand's six major airports have also been suspended. He advised passengers to arrive at the airport at least four hours before their departure time.
Airports in Singapore and Malaysia also reported similar problems, with long queues and passengers worried they would miss their flights due to lengthy check-in procedures.
