Passengers crowd Cebu Pacific counters at Terminal 3 at NAIA on July 19, 2024 following a major outage that disrupted global computer systems. (AFP)
Updated on July 19 at 6:05 p.m.
MANILA, Philippines – The global outage of technology giant Microsoft has affected the system of budget carrier Cebu Pacific and Air Asia, but the operations of international carriers in the Philippines remained unaffected as of 4 p.m. on Friday, according to a statement issued by the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa).
Cebu Pacific itself confirmed the situation, saying it was experiencing “technical issues, reportedly related to technology provider CrowdStrike, which caused a global Microsoft system outage.”
“The technical issue requires us to handle affected processes manually, potentially causing delays,” the Gokongwei-led airline said in a statement posted on X, adding that it was working to mitigate disruptions in its operations.
In response, the Miaa said it had sent additional personnel to the check-in staff of Cebu Pacific and Air Asia.
It will also provide “Malasakit Kits” to affected travelers.
Miaa General Manager Eric Jose Ines also directed all terminal managers to “closely monitor developments and offer necessary assistance as required.”
The Miaa Medical Division also went on high alert to respond promptly to emergencies.
Miaa advised passengers to contact their respective airline companies for updates and assistance.
Meanwhile, flag carrier Philippine Airlines said its system was not affected by the outage.
The outage has caused widespread disruption worldwide, grounding flights, derailing television broadcasts, and impacting telecommunications.
READ: Microsoft users worldwide report outages affecting banks, airlines
Major US air carriers including Delta, United, and American Airlines grounded all flights on Friday due to communication issues, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Flights were also suspended at Berlin Brandenburg airport in Germany due to a “technical problem,” causing cancellations and delays.
Airports in Spain and Hong Kong reported disruptions linked to the Microsoft outage. In Australia, the UK’s biggest rail operator warned of possible train cancellations due to IT issues, with large queues forming at Sydney Airport.
Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator attributed the “large-scale technical outage” to a “third-party software platform,” and there was no evidence of hacker involvement.
The UK’s Sky News and Australian broadcaster ABC experienced significant disruptions, and Australian supermarket chains faced issues with self-checkout terminals. New Zealand reported problems with banks and parliamentary computer systems.
Microsoft stated it was taking “mitigation actions” in response to the service issues, and the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike could not be immediately reached for comment.
Experts noted the problem might be linked to CrowdStrike’s Falcon, an endpoint detection and response platform. The global impact of the outages was likely to be “enormous,” according to cybersecurity researchers.