The global issue affecting the Windows operating system has been linked to the cybersecurity firm, Crowdstrike. In a statement on its website, the company confirmed that it was aware of reports of crashes on Microsoft Windows and admitted on Friday that a defective software update had caused the chaos.

It resulted in thousands of workers being unable to log on to their computers, whilst businesses from finance to healthcare were also affected.

On X, Microsoft 365 acknowledged the issue that was affecting users and said on Friday morning: "We're investigating an issue impacting users ability to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services."

Airlines disrupted

Airlines were among the businesses that took to social media to update passengers on flight disruptions after reports started to emerge about the IT outage.

For flights still going ahead, a number of companies were issuing handwritten tickets due to printing issues.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport said: "Due to a technical fault, there will be delays in check-in."

Spain's Vueling Airlines also updated its passengers with a post on social media platform X and said: "We inform you that due to a global computer systems outage, our flight operations could be altered.

"We are working to minimise the impact on our clients. If your flight is affected we will inform you via email."

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol also updated passengers with a statement on its website and said: "There is currently a global computer failure. This disruption also has an impact on flights to and from Schiphol. The impact is now being mapped."

Irish airline Ryanair said it is also experiencing challenges with its check-in processes and has requested that their passengers arrive at the airport three hours prior to their flight.

Dublin airport said in a statement that their team is "on hand to assist Ryanair and passengers in the terminal."

KLM said it was also experiencing service difficulties.

"KLM and other airlines and airports have been affected by a global computer outage, making flight handling impossible. We realise that this is very inconvenient for our customers and staff, particularly in the midst of the summer holiday season. We’re working hard to resolve the problem"

In India, SpiceJet joined global airlines to report a problem.

"We are currently experiencing technical challenges with our service provider, affecting online services including booking, check-in, and manage booking functionalities. As a result, we have activated manual check-in and boarding processes across airports," it said on X.

American Airlines, Delta and United all grounded flights too.

American Airlines has now restarted its operations, while United Airlines has said that "some flights are resuming".

Broadcasting down

Sky News also went off air after the outage earlier today, although the broadcaster has now restored services.

"Sky News have not been able to broadcast live TV this morning, currently telling viewers that we apologise for the interruption. Much of our news report is still available online, and we are working hard to restore all services," David Rhodes said on X.

The RNS news service was also hit, preventing news from being published on the London Stock Exchange website with "technical teams working to restore the service".

Other services across the group continued to operate as normal, however.

CBBC also went off air.

Health services hit

Meanwhile, in the UK, the outage has impacted the National Health Service (NHS) with the medical computer system EMIS also down.

The system allows doctors to book appointments, view patient notes, order prescriptions and make referrals.

GTD Healthcare, a major UK healthcare provider in the North West of England using the system said in a statement on its website: "Unfortunately there is a national issue with EMIS Web - the clinical computer system used within GP practices. 

"This will affect our ability to book appointments/consult with patients this morning. We apologise for the disruption."

In Germany, two hospitals in the northern cities of Luebeck and Kiel have cancelled elective operations scheduled for Friday.

Patient care and emergency services will go ahead as normal, the University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein told the BBC.

Train services disrupted

Train services have also been impacted by "widespread IT issues" with Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern all reporting problems in the UK.

Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.

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