As of 15:00HRS today 3,343 flights have been cancelled globally due to the failed update from Cyber-security specialists Crowdstrike that has hit Microsoft Windows according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium
Airlines are amongst many of the large companies hit by the corrupt update which causes Windows systems to effectively go into a recovery loop.
The failures come on what should be the busiest day of the year so far at UK airports with the start of the summer holidays leading to a mass getaway.
In a statement on their website, Crowdstrike said: “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack.
“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.“
The cancellation of flights is likely to have a significant impact on the next few days with aircraft located in the wrong place to operate flights tomorrow and onwards
Passengers who have been affected by the cancellations or delays are entitled to support from their airline such as alternative flights, accommodation and food but will not be able to claim EU261 compensation due to the circumstances being outside the airline’s control.
British Airways is one UK airline that has been affected however it appeared to blame Microsoft. In a statement, the airline said: “Due to the widely-reported global Microsoft IT outage, some of our flights may experience disruption today. Our teams are working hard to manage the impact of this issue as quickly as possible.”