Global IT outage calls for more airline investments in robust infrastructure, contingency planning

A glitch to software developed by a cloud-based cybersecurity platform last month crashed millions of computers, grinding many critical systems worldwide to a halt.

Diverse businesses were affected globally and the outage was believed to be largest one such in history, ironically far exceeding the worst any hack has succeeded in achieving.

The cybersecurity company concerned said the debacle was “not a security incident or cyberattack.”

But the technical fiasco was so severe that it has paralysed many airlines, banks, state agencies and even emergency services around the world.

Bewildered travellers at some of the world’s busiest airports got stranded as they tried to get to urgent events.

Numerous international airlines reported technical disruptions, along with airports across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

The IT outage disrupted flight scheduling systems, leading to delays and cancellations. This is because airlines around the world now rely heavily on these systems for managing flight operations, crew schedules, and aircraft rotations.

Automated check-in kiosks and boarding systems became non-functional at many global airports, resulting in long queues and delays as airline staff have to resort to manual processes.

Since IT systems manage baggage tracking and handling these days, the outage led to mishandled or lost luggage, creating further delays and customer dissatisfaction.

“It was not an aviation crisis, but queues of people waiting at airports made for the most telegenic news reports trying to put a human face on the extraordinary events that unfolded,” noted Willise Walsh, IATA Director General.

“Travellers were hit hard as it was one of the busiest weekends in the peak northern summer travel season. With systems managing everything from booking, to check-in, baggage and crew scheduling impacted, many airlines and airports were disrupted,” Walsh noted.

In the third week of July, nearly 36,000 flights were delayed and around 10,000 cancelled worldwide.

Fortunately, travellers for the most part seemed to understand that this was completely beyond airlines’ control and were very patient as software provider implemented fixes.

Walsh, however, insisted safety was never compromised. Aircraft systems and air traffic control were unaffected. And ground crews reacted with ingenuity – using hand-written boarding passes and other documentation to keep flights moving. It was an extraordinary day, by any measure.

But according to Walsh, “it is time to look at what this event has taught us.”

“The first lesson is humility. IT glitches happen. And they can happen on a massive scale. My initial thought is to thank travellers for their patience and all those who worked long and hard to return our world to normality.

“And that is quickly followed by a desire to understand how all industries could be better protected from and prepared for such failures. Indeed, questions are already being raised around the overall resilience of businesses and society to cope, which may lead to greater political scrutiny.”

IT is a fact of life. It gives travellers options that they value. It has done much to keep travel affordable and as AI spreads its wings, the potential for future improvements is ripe with potential.

“The final learning that I would highlight is the onus that must be on tech companies for reliability. Scale is not an excuse, it is a responsibility. The aviation industry offers a great example. Over the decades since mass air travel became a reality, we have become ever-safer and more reliable. This is the result of continual self-improvement through global standards and intense cooperation between industry and regulators.

“We are not perfect, but the system has proven itself robust. Perhaps it is time the IT industry adopted similar levels of humility and transparency, so that we can be evermore confident in the security and safety of our digitised world,” Walsh added.

A major IT outage like the one that occurred last month will have significant and widespread impacts on airlines around the world, affecting various aspects of their operations and customer service.

Obviously, this will have a cascading effect on airline operations, customer service, financial stability and reputation.

This makes it crucial for airlines around the world to invest in robust IT infrastructure and contingency planning.