Normal life is gradually returning to airports and businesses after the technological blackout that affected Microsoft. In Spain, airports have resumed normal operations, allowing airlines and passengers to resume their usual activities. In addition, companies in other non-aviation sectors are also returning to normal operations.
The outage is attributed to a failure in the CrowdStrike platform. This technical issue led to a series of disruptions to various systems and services, significantly impacting many industries around the world.
Airlines experienced occasional delays on long-haul flights, especially on transatlantic routes to Asia. Although short- and medium-haul flights were initially affected, most delays have already been resolved. In addition, efforts have been made to relocate passengers affected by cancelled or missed flights, thus minimizing the negative impact on users.
More than 21,000 flights worldwide were delayed due to the power outage. Aena managed to keep its entire airport network operational, despite recording 400 cancellations out of a total of 5,600 scheduled flights (6.5%). In the Eurocontrol network, 45.9% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late. In the Spanish territory, 56% of flights arrived more than 15 minutes late, showing a significant impact on on-time performance.
The technology blackout not only affected aviation, but also had major repercussions on other business sectors. Financial institutions saw disruptions to their operations. Amazon reported delays in the distribution of its products, impacting its logistics chain. Renault was forced to halt production at its factories in Maubeuge and Douai in France due to a shortage of spare parts, showing the domino effect of power outages in the supply chain.
Health services in countries such as the UK, US and Australia have also been severely affected. System disruptions have led to the suspension of surgeries and medical appointments, creating a major challenge for healthcare professionals and patients.
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