Many businesses including airlines, banks, TV and radio broadcasters and supermarkets have been taken offline after the blue screen of death error appeared on Windows computer systems across the world. The issue has officially been tied to cyber-security firm CrowdStrike where an update on Windows 10 PCs reported caused the crash.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, more than 1,000 flights have been cancelled globally so far. The firm also confirmed that today was set to be busiest day for UK flight departures so far this year with more than 3,200 departures scheduled.
Train disruptions in London
UK’s busiest train operator has warned passengers to expect major disruption after experiencing “widespread IT issues.” All four of Govia Thamelink Railway’s brands including – Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern stated on social media: “We are currently experiencing widespread IT issues across our entire network. Our IT teams are actively investigating to determine the root cause of the problem. We are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice cancellations, particularly on the Thameslink and Great Northern networks. Additionally, other key systems, including our real-time customer information platforms, are also affected. We will provide additional updates when we can. In the meantime, please regularly check your journey before you travel.”
Flight disruptions in London
Further disruptions and delays have been seen in London’s Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick airport where passengers traveling abroad are currently facing longer wait times through security and are being manually checked in. Ryanair announced this morning that its online booking and check-in services are currently unavailable and require all passengers to do so at the airport.
Earlier this morning, Sky News channel was unable to broadcast live this morning due to the outage while the NHS reported problems with booking appointments at some GP surgeries in England having no access to the clinical system and patient records.
Here’s the full statement from NHS England: “The NHS is aware of a global IT outage and an issue with EMIS, an appointment and patient record system, which is causing disruption in the majority of GP practices. The NHS has long-standing measures in place to manage the disruption, including using paper patient records and handwritten prescriptions, and the usual phone systems to contact your GP. There is currently no known impact on 999 or emergency services, so people should use these services as they usually would. Patients should attend appointments unless told otherwise. Only contact your GP if it’s urgent, and otherwise please use 111 online or call 111.”
Other card payment issues have also been reported across the country with many retail shops and supermarkets unable to process payments – Gail’s Bakery, Waitrose and Morrisons supermarket have said to be affected so far.
The organising committee for the Paris Olympics have also stated that its IT operations have also been impacted with just a week to go before the Games begin.
This is a breaking news story. We will update this article as and when we get new information.