Airlines say some flights may be delayed due to disruptions around the world as some UAE government services recover from disruptions
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The document attestation service on the Ministry of External Affairs website was “under maintenance” on Friday, July 19. — KT Photo: Neeraj Murali
After the technical issues, which lasted for about three hours, residents can now access services on the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) website, authorities announced.
The bank had earlier urged the public to avoid conducting transactions through its online portal as some of its electronic systems were affected by a “global technical outage”.
Some UAE government online services were affected by the cyber outage that has crippled key institutions around the world, with Dubai International Airport (DXB) also confirming that its operations were temporarily affected.
Authentication services were also affected, the ministry said, and “customers are advised not to carry out any transactions until this issue is resolved.”
Soon after, the Ministry of Human Resources issued a similar advisory, saying it had detected issues with some digital services.
“Our technical teams are currently working with the relevant authorities to overcome this challenge,” Mohle said.
Flight status across the UAE
“All flights and services are operating normally and are not affected by the global technical outage, with services and operations continuing without delay,” Sharjah International Airport said in a statement.
A Dubai International Airport (DXB) spokesperson confirmed to Khaleej Times that flight operations had resumed swiftly from DXB following a systems outage which affected the check-in procedures for some airlines in Terminals 1 and 2.
“DXB is operating as normal following a global systems outage which affected the check-in procedures for some airlines. Affected airlines quickly switched to alternative systems and were able to quickly resume normal check-in operations,” the spokesman added.
In a separate statement to Khaleej Times, Etihad Airways said its “flights will operate as normal on Friday (19 July) following a global IT issue affecting organisations around the world.”
“However, as a result of global disruptions, there may be some delays to services across the airline’s network,” a spokesman for the Abu Dhabi-based airline added.
Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates said it had not reported any flight delays so far but noted that “due to the knock-on effects of delayed departures from some airports in our network, some flights may experience delays to the time of their arrival later today (19 July).”
“We are aware of the global IT disruption and are monitoring the situation closely. Customers can follow the latest flight information on our website and app and are encouraged to update their contact details when booking,” the Emirates spokesperson added.
Flydubai also confirmed that the global network outage had not affected its operations. “The third-party IT issue has not impacted our operations and we continue to monitor closely and are in contact with our suppliers,” a flydubai spokesman said.
An Air Arabia spokesman confirmed that operations were not affected: “We are aware of IT outages around the world and are closely monitoring the situation. Please visit our website for the latest updates.”
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi advised passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled departure.
“We are closely monitoring the situation regarding the IT outage caused by a third-party provider which is affecting the aviation industry globally. Our teams are working closely with stakeholders across our network to ensure a seamless travel experience for all passengers,” the budget carrier added.
Airports in Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and India are also affected, with long queues at check-in counters. Major US airlines including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines have also suspended all flights, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The system was reportedly caused by an improper update implemented by CrowdStrike, a US-based cybersecurity technology company, which caused PCs and servers running the company’s software to crash and become unrecoverable.
What is CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity company that offers cloud-based endpoint protection solutions, explained Rayad Kamal Ayub, a UAE-based technology expert.
“CrowdStrike is a global provider of security technology and services focused on identifying advanced threats and targeted attacks,” said Ayub, managing director of Rayad Group.
The company’s flagship product, Falcon, is a cloud-based endpoint protection solution that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect intrusions across networks and endpoints, he added.
“Microsoft uses CrowdStrike for all of its software,” Ayub emphasized, linking the latest outage to outages of several systems operated by Microsoft.
Causes of power outages
Ayub said there were two possible causes for the outage.
“The company claims that it tried to perform a routine update but it was incompatible, causing the system to crash. Cybersecurity experts have also not ruled out the possibility of a malicious attack,” he added.
Because Crowdstrike is widely used, the outage could cause significant service disruptions for banks, airlines and other service providers.
“Citizens may face inconvenience and need to remain vigilant against hackers while using the system,” Ayub said.