Photos show the chaos behind the global IT outage that's impacting retailers, flights, and hospitals

Photos show the chaos behind the global IT outage that's impacting retailers, flights, and hospitals
  • A major global IT outage is disrupting flights, retailers, and media outlets among other businesses.

  • It emerged after Microsoft reported problems with its online services.

  • Here are photos showing the effects of the huge IT outage worldwide.

Major airlines, banks, hospitals, and retailers are experiencing widespread disruptions linked to an IT outage after Microsoft reported problems with its online services, linked to an issue at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

Here are photos showing how the outage is affecting people and businesses worldwide.

Airlines, including United, Delta, and American, issued ground stops on Friday.

A crowd of people waiting at an airport.
Passengers wait at Barajas Airport in Madrid following the IT outage on Friday.ELENA RODRIGUEZ/Reuters

European airlines Ryanair and KLM are also among those to be impacted by the outage.

Edinburgh Airport in the UK and Berlin Airport in Germany have warned of delays.

Changi Aiport in Singapore — one of the world's busiest airports — said it was manually checking in the passengers of some airlines.

Long lines of people waiting in Singapore's Changi Airport
Lines of people at Terminal 1 in Singapore's Changi Airport on July 19, 2024.Aditi Bharade / Business Insider

A spokesperson for Singapore's Changi Airport told BI: "Due to a global outage affecting IT systems of many organizations, the check-in process for some airlines at Changi Airport is being managed manually."

This included the "issuance of boarding passes," the spokesperson said.

Whiteboards are being used at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1.

A man stands looking at a piece of paper in front of a whiteboard displaying flight information in an airport lounge.
A whiteboard displaying flight information in Terminal 1 of Singapore's Changi Airport.Aditi Bharade

Local media reports also showed long lines at Changi Airport's check-in counters.

Major UK airports have reported issues, with some warning of delays and disruption.

The flight Check-in Hall board at Stansted airport which shows "Please wait" signs by many flights.
The flight check-in board at Stansted Airport shows "Please Wait" messages next to most of the scheduled flights.Reem Makhoul/Business Insider

Major UK airports, Heathrow, Gatwick, and Luton, have all been affected.

A passenger at Luton airport, near London, shared photos of big lines.

Long lines at Luton Airport, near London, on July 19, 2024, as airlines and other companies reeled from a mass IT outage.
Long lines at Luton Airport, near London, on July 19, 2024, as airlines and other companies reeled from a mass IT outage.Nick Xydias

At Luton Airport, near London, Nick Xydias told Business Insider he was stuck waiting for a Wizz Air flight to Larnaca, Cyprus.

"It's my birthday, and we'd booked a romantic trip with my wife. She'd got a new dress and everything," he told Business Insider from a winding and frustrated line of passengers on Friday morning.

Luton staff later wrote on X that some flights were affected but that the airport was still operating.

Xydias's flight was later canceled.

Passengers flying with Ryanair at Stansted Airport in the UK face long lines.

Long queues for Ryanair at Stansted Airport, London
Lines for Ryanair at Stansted Airport.Reem Makhoul / Business Insider

Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, warned of "disruption across the network due to a Global 3rd party IT outage which is out of our control" and is advising passengers to head to the airport early.

The issue is impacting airports globally, such as Hong Kong International Airport and Delhi International Airport in India.

Passengers sitting in a crowded airport, man checking phone for updates
Hong Kong Express Airways passengers line up at counters in Hong Kong International Airport amid system outages disrupting the airline's operations.Tyrone Siu/Reuters

A passenger at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad wrote on X that he had been issued a hand-written boarding pass by Indian airline IndiGo.

Business Insider was unable to verify his account. However, IndiGo confirmed on X that its booking, check-in, and access to boarding cards process was impacted by the outage.

Grocery stores, retailers, and fast-food giants have also been impacted.

A sign notifies customers of a temporary closure due to IT issues at a Liquorland store in Canberra
A sign notifies customers of a temporary closure due to IT issues at a Liquorland store in Canberra, Australia.Reuters

Australian grocery store chain Woolworths told BI that some stores had "been impacted as a result of the global IT issue." However, all but six stores were open, while some had fewer checkouts functioning.

A banner on Woolworths' website as of Friday said that it's "experiencing intermittent technical difficulties instore and online."

A spokesperson for UK grocery store chain Morrisons told BI that the chain was experiencing payment issues in some stores.

Checkout counter with IT error message
Some checkout lanes at major retailers are out of use.AAP via REUTERS

Social media users said Waitrose, an upmarket UK grocery store chain, was only taking cash payments because card machines weren't working.

News outlets were also affected by the outage.

Sky News broadcast was interrupted during IT outage
Sky News briefly went off air.Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Sky News has been showing archive footage and briefly displayed an error message.

The news site appears to be up and running at the time of writing.

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