North America: Disruptions to air travel and telecommunications services likely to continue across region into at least July 20 due to global IT outage /update 3

A Microsoft service outage will likely continue to affect several sectors, including air travel, telecommunications, and healthcare, across North America into at least July 20. A glitch within a software update issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike reportedly caused the global IT outage on July 19.

US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has suggested that transport disruptions would gradually recede by July 20 after the IT outage delayed or canceled thousands of flights across the country on July 19, including on United Airlines (UA), Delta Air Lines (DL), and Allegiant Air (G4). Buttigieg asserted that there was "no indication" that the IT outage affected the operational systems of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including air traffic control (ATC) systems. Among the airports most severely affected by the outage have reportedly been Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), Charlotte Douglas International (CLT), Denver International (DEN), George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) in Houston, and O'Hare International (ORD) in Chicago.

In Canada, Porter Airlines (PD) has been among the most affected carriers; the airline announced that it was canceling its flights following the IT outage and began to restart operations at around 14:30 EDT July 19.

In Mexico, dozens of flights were canceled and hundreds of others delayed at Mexico City International (MEX) and Cancun International (CUN) airports on July 19. Volaris (Y4) and VivaAerobus (VB) reported flight disruptions due to the outage. Residual flight disruptions are likely once normal services resume as airlines work to clear passenger backlogs. Border-crossing delays and long lines were also reported in Tijuana and other cities on the US-Mexico border.

Additionally, emergency phone lines were disrupted in several US states, especially Alaska, Oregon, and Arizona, but authorities said most issues had been resolved in the early morning hours of July 19. Multiple hospitals and healthcare systems were also affected by the outage, leading to cancellations of nonemergency procedures and delays for patients waiting to receive care. In Canada, the outage disrupted healthcare systems in British Columbia, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Lingering telecommunications disruptions are likely as network connections normalize, and delays in healthcare services and emergency responses could occur for the duration of the outage.

In addition to the sectors outlined above, disruptions will likely continue to affect other sectors - including digital finance and payments, shipping, and government services - until the IT outage and its effects on Microsoft systems are fully resolved.