A Windows operating system outage has “taken much of the world’s infrastructure offline.” The major international IT outage has cause disruption worldwide for broadcasters, banks, GPs, pharmacies, supermarkets, airlines, and more.
Airports and airlines internationally have been impacted with BBC reporting disruption at American Airlines, United Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS Airline, Prague Airport, Eurowings, Belfast International, Zurich airport, Gatwick, Christchurch International Airport, Narita airport, Schiphol, and more.
At Delhi airport, a BBC reporter said the staff have “gone manual” with blank boarding cards and baggage tags being filled manually and gate information displayed on a whiteboard.
The repercussions of this outage highlight the need for resilience and contingency planning as the industry continues on its digitisation journey. It also underscores the importance of cybersecurity and robust IROPS planning to ensure disruption for passengers is kept to a minimum.
With passengers expecting airlines to protect them from the adverse effects of disruption, the management of unforeseen delays can be crucial to maintaining customer satisfaction. If handled effectively, disruption can present an opportunity for airlines and airports to leave a positive, lasting impression on their passengers.
At World Aviation Festival in October, the Cyber Security and IROPS Summits will gather together innovators to discuss key issues. With speakers from KLM, AirAsia, TAP Air Portugal, Qatar Airways, easyJet, EUROCONTROL, EUROCAE, and more sharing there expertise to drive progress in the industry, book your ticket now to avoid missing out!
For more on this see:
- Four reasons the aviation industry must take cybersecurity seriously
- How airlines can provide a consistent passenger experience during IROPs
- Air India leverages tech to elevate passenger experience amid disruption
