A recent glitch in Microsoft Windows 10 computers has caused widespread disruption across the globe, affecting critical services in various sectors, including airports. The issue, known as the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), has led to massive computer failures, resulting in significant inconvenience for travelers and businesses alike. The source of the problem appears to be an update from CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company.
Update: Microsoft has issued a statement about the CrowdStrike bug. “We’re aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to an update from a third-party software platform. We anticipate a resolution is forthcoming,” a company spokesperson has said
Some of India’s busiest airports, including Delhi Airport and Mumbai Airport, have reported major service disruptions. Airlines such as Akasa Air, Indigo, and SpiceJet have resorted to issuing hand-written boarding passes because their systems were unable to generate them electronically due to the glitch. This manual process has slowed down operations considerably, leading to long queues and frustrated passengers.
Hand-written boarding passes at Indian airports
At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, the situation turned chaotic as check-in systems went down. Acknowledging the issues, Delhi Airport has shared a statement on X saying, “Due to the global IT issue, some of the services at the Delhi Airport were temporarily impacted. We are closely working with all our stakeholders to minimise the inconvenience to our flyers.”
Indigo airline staff were forced to issue hand-written boarding passes to passengers. This manual process slowed down operations significantly, leading to long queues and frustrated travellers. Several travellers have shared images of their hand-written boarding passes on the social media platform X. One of the travellers wrote on X, “First time I am looking at a handwritten boarding pass in my life”.
“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. We appreciate your patience,” Indigo had said earlier on X.
Akasa Air confirmed on social media that it is also resorting to manual check-in and boarding processes. “Currently we are following manual check-in and boarding processes at the airports and hence request passengers with immediate travel plans to reach the airport early to check-in at our counters. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and want to assure you that our teams are working with our service provider to resolve the same at the earliest,” the company shared on social media platform.
CrowdStrike bug affects airports across the globe
The problem isn’t confined to India. Ryan Air, a European airline, also reported disruptions due to this global IT issue. The airline’s website informed passengers of potential delays, apologizing for any inconvenience caused by the third-party system outage. The company wrote on its website, “We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by this 3rd party IT issue, which is outside of Ryanair’s control and affect all airlines operating across the network.”
An X user shared an image from Sydney Airport showing that the screens displaying flight arrivals and departures have all turned blue due to the CrowdStrike bug. Los Angeles Airport and San Francisco Airport are also severely impacted by the bug.
Globally, many organisations have reported similar issues. Social media is flooded with images of the infamous blue screen, as users from various parts of the world share their experiences. According to CrowdStrike, the issue stems from an update related to its Falcon software suite, which is designed to manage cybersecurity on computers. This update seems to have triggered the BSOD on systems running the Falcon software, causing widespread outages.
CrowdStrike acknowledged the issue in a support note to its customers, stating, “We have widespread reports of BSODs on Windows hosts, occurring on multiple sensor versions.” While the company has not provided extensive details, it confirmed that it is working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
The glitch has not only affected airports but also various businesses, including banks, telecommunications companies, TV and radio broadcasters, and supermarkets. Reports indicate that these organizations had to take their systems offline to prevent further issues. According to Guardian Australia, which was among the first to report the glitch, the problem caused significant disruptions in workplaces, leading to businesses being taken offline.