A massive IT outage has thrown air travel into disarray across multiple continents, impacting thousands of flights, stranding passengers, and causing widespread delays. Major airports and airlines throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia reported issues with check-in systems, boarding processes, and flight scheduling as they scrambled to handle the fallout.
In July 2024, travel landscape was especially chaotic, with more than 110,000 flights scheduled globally and at least 2,691 flights canceled, according to the best aviation analytics firms. Many more flights faced delays as carriers like Delta, Ryanair, and Air India, among others, grappled with the technical outage. Some airlines and airports advised passengers to arrive earlier than usual, while others resorted to manual check-ins, handwritten boarding passes, and even using whiteboards to display flight information.
At Edinburgh Airport, passengers saw “server offline” messages on boarding pass scanners, prompting the airport to caution travelers to check flight statuses online before arriving. Meanwhile, in Madrid, long queues and a lack of information left travelers frustrated, with bottlenecks forming as passengers scrambled to find accurate directions. New Delhi’s Terminal 3 also turned to manual procedures, with handwritten boarding passes and staff directing passengers in person to make up for the system outage.
The scope of the outage affected airlines not only directly impacted but also those indirectly involved due to the global network’s interconnected nature. A short delay at a major hub could cause a ripple effect, disrupting takeoff and landing times for the rest of the day. In the U.S., major carriers such as American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines issued “ground stops” for their flights, halting all takeoffs temporarily. This ground stop order prevented departing flights but allowed those in the air to land safely, as directed by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
A short delay at a major hub could cause a ripple effect, disrupting takeoff and landing times for the rest of the day.
As U.S. Transportation monitored the situation, the FAA noted that air traffic control systems themselves were not affected. Still, Delta and other major airlines warned of continued delays and potential cancellations, especially at major U.S. hubs in Atlanta, Detroit, and Salt Lake City. Globally, the transport sector’s struggles are expected to normalize by the day after the outage, though full restoration of services will depend on local carriers and their ability to manage residual delays.
In Europe, where stringent passenger rights laws mandate compensation for delays exceeding three hours, it is unclear if the outage will qualify for payouts. Under EU law, airlines are not required to provide compensation if disruptions are deemed “extraordinary circumstances,” which could include third-party IT failures.
A spokesperson for the European Consumer Organisation noted that airlines would need to prove the outage meets this exemption to avoid liability.
In the U.S., where regulations are less strict, airlines are only obliged to offer meal vouchers or hotel accommodations when delays exceed three hours and are within the airlines’ control.
Passenger frustrations mounted as holiday travel and school breaks added to the airport congestion. At Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, a major hub for European travelers, passengers faced long delays, with FlightRadar24 identifying it as one of the most affected airports globally. Despite the difficulties, certain carriers like Iberia managed to avoid outright cancellations, instead navigating delays with temporary solutions.
The outage’s cause was confirmed by Microsoft, which reported that a “configuration change” within its Azure-backed services had led to user access issues worldwide. Some cybersecurity firm indicated they were assisting customers affected by a related software issue, adding to suspicions that a defect in an update to Microsoft’s systems may have caused the cascading failure.
As airlines slowly resumed regular operations, the aviation industry faces significant challenges in addressing passenger rights, compensating travelers, and ensuring reliable backup systems for future incidents. With delays projected to linger for days, travelers are encouraged to stay updated on flight schedules and communicate directly with their airlines as global operations strive for stability.