Airlines need ""answers and compensation"" after IT outage, says AirAsia parent boss

The IT outage on July 19, 2024, caused unprecedented technological chaos globally after a third party software outage hit various computer systems. The issue was a result of a faulty update for hosts using the Windows operating system. The aviation industry was unshielded against the issues with various airports and airlines reporting disruptions - some even resorting to manual processes to manage the backlog of customers. Around 6,855 flights were cancelled worldwide on the day of the outage - equal to approximately 6% of all scheduled flights - according to data from Cirium. The following day, on July 20, 1,848 flights had been cancelled globally as of 1:25pm BST. The number could still grow as the day progresses. As the aviation sector contends with the sudden exposure to technological failures, some are calling for action from tech companies to address the issue. ""Tech companies have little empathy,"" said Capital A - which operates AirAsia - CEO Tony Fernandes said in a LinkedIn post. ""What we went through with Covid they had no sympathy. Now they have issues they expect us all to understand. Well I’m not going to. Airlines need answers and compensation."" The software issue is linked to CrowdStrike – a cybersecurity software firm. The issue stemmed from a ""defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,"" said CrowdStrike CEO and president George Kurtz. He underlined the fact that it was ""not a security incident or cyberattack."" Kurtz added: ""The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed."" The cybersecurity company said in a blog post: ""The sensor configuration update that caused the system crash was remediated on Friday, July 19, 2024 05:27 UTC."" In an open letter addressed to its customers and partners Kurtz said: ""I want to sincerely apologize directly to all of you for today’s outage. All of CrowdStrike understands the gravity and impact of the situation."" While Fernandes commended CrowdStrike for apologising, he called on Microsoft for answers. ""We will wait to hear from Microsoft on how this has happened causing airlines to lose millions of dollars in revenue, but more importantly how their system failure has caused so much chaos to people’s lives."" Microsoft has yet to issue an official apology. It did provide an update on July 20 on how it has helped its customers through the event. However, as Fernandes declared, while the outage has left the industry in a temporary state of disarray, it also represents a stepping stone for the industry to build upon and learn from.