Global Microsoft outage impacts flight services; banks, stock exchanges affected

Mumbai: A global Microsoft Windows outage has caused widespread disruptions, leading to "Blue Screen of Death" errors that have affected operations at international airlines, banks, and media outlets. Bengaluru International Airport's flight operations have also been impacted. 

Acknowledging the issue, US tech giant Microsoft said Friday it was taking "mitigation actions" after service disruptions.

"Our services are still seeing continuous improvements while we continue to take mitigation actions," the company said in a post on social media platform X.

In a notice titled "Service Degradation", Microsoft said users "may be unable to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services".

The announcement came as Australia reported a large-scale outage of IT systems on Friday, with the country's national broadcaster, its largest international airport and a major telecommunications company reporting issues.

Airlines have tweeted about the disruptions, implementing manual processes and advising passengers to arrive early for check-in due to technical challenges. It is learned that the flight operations has been affected at Bengaluru International Airport. 

"Our services are still seeing continuous improvements while we continue to take mitigation actions. More details can be found within the admin center under MO821132 and http://status.cloud.microsoft," tweets Microsoft as users face issue impacting their ability to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services. 

SpiceJet tweets, "We are currently experiencing technical challenges with our service provider, affecting online services including booking, check-in, and manage booking functionalities. As a result, we have activated manual check-in and boarding processes across airports. We kindly request passengers with upcoming travel plans to arrive at the airport earlier than usual to complete check-in at our counters..."

IndiGo tweets, "Our systems are currently impacted by a Microsoft outage, which is also affecting other companies. During this time booking, check-in, access to your boarding pass, and some flights may be impacted..."

Vistara tweets, "We are experiencing technical challenges across various aspects of our operations due to a global outage at our service provider's end. We are working with them to resolve the issue as quickly as possible..."

Air india, "Our digital systems have been impacted temporarily due to the current Microsoft outage resulting in delays. We regret the inconvenience caused and request our guests to plan their travel accordingly."