Major delays and flight cancellations are being felt at airports across Australia after a global tech outage brought the country to a stop.
The outage appears to have been caused by an update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike affecting Microsoft Windows systems.
Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar systems have all been caught up in the interruption, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at airports.
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The airlines’ cancelled flights make up an estimated 1400 flights disrupted around the globe today, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Jetstar appears to be the most heavily impacted by the outage, with both domestic and international flights affected, Melbourne Airport said.
As a result, the airline has announced it has cancelled all its flights until 2am tomorrow.
“Our teams are working on recovery options and we will contact customers with updates as soon as our systems are back online,” Jetstar said.
“If you’re due to travel today or tomorrow, but no longer wish to travel, we’re offering free moves (+7 days from date of travel) or voucher refunds.”
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Airports across the country are warning would-be passengers to allow extra check-in time and expect delays as the issue is anticipated to stretch into the night.
Sydney Airport, which is experiencing downed airline operations and terminal services, said flights are slowly landing and departing.
“We have activated our contingency plans with our airline partners and deployed additional staff to our terminals to assist passengers,” a spokesperson said.
“Anyone travelling today should leave plenty of time to come to the airport and check with their airline regarding the status of their flight.”
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Melbourne Airport said Qantas and Virgin Australia are slowly processing passengers and international flights are running as normal, aside from Jetstar and Scoot flights.
“Please check with your airline for flight updates,” an airport spokesperson said.
Flights are also still landing and departing at Brisbane Airport, where airlines are using backup systems to keep passengers moving.
“Airport information screens are operational,” a spokesperson said.
“The Brisbane team will continue to keep you updated on any major impacts.”
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Perth Airport has reported that check-in systems and processes are returning to normal.
“Flights are continuing to operate; however, delays and cancellations have been experienced,” a spokesperson said.
Adelaide Airport is also being impacted.
Down on the ground, transport crews have been deployed across Sydney roads and transport networks and are working with police and emergency services.
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Trains, which were earlier affected, have since returned to running as normal on the Hunter Line between Newcastle and Dungog/Scone and Southern Highlands Line between Campbelltown and Moss Vale/Goulburn.
The train radio network in the area had been impacted by the outage.
“There are no impacts to other modes of public transport and no impacts to the wider train network,” a Transport for NSW spokesperson said.
“There are no adverse impacts to the road network and traffic lights are operational.”
In Victoria, trains have also since resumed after its communication systems failed, forcing the suspension of all VLine trains across the network.
“Delays up to 120 minutes are expected as we work to restore services as quickly and safely as possible,” a VLine spokesperson said.
Major stops like the Southern Cross saw crowds of people waiting for delayed and cancelled trains.
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