Air cargo operations have been impacted by the IT disruption that has seen computer systems malfunction at airlines and airports worldwide.
The disruption is understood to have been caused by a Microsoft IT outage triggered by a software update from cyber security company Crowdstrike.
In Europe, cargo hub Amsterdam Airport Schiphol confirmed it has been affected by the IT issues. The airport posted an update its website that stated: “There is currently a global computer failure. This disruption also has an impact on flights to and from Schiphol.”
The airport did not specify which flights have been affected.
Lufthansa Cargo said on its website that cargo handling operations are impacted, including at Frankfurt and Munich airports.
“Due to an IT malfunction, there are currently disruptions in global air traffic. Lufthansa Cargo is one of the many airlines affected. The handling processes at Lufthansa Cargo’s hubs in Frankfurt and Munich amongst others are currently heavily affected. We are working at full speed to rectify the disruption. Due to the disruptions, delays and flight cancellations are to be expected during the course of the day.”
“We are constantly monitoring and discussing the dynamic situation with our system partners with the aim of continuing to offer you stable solutions for the transportation of your freight.”
Luxembourg headquartered Cargolux said some of its services had been affected, but this did not include flights. “We are currently experiencing disruption of some of our services due to a Global 3rd party IT outage, which is out of our control. Our flights are not impacted,” said the cargo airline.
Heathrow Airport, the UK’s busiest air cargo hub, has also been experiencing technology problems, though it declined to comment on air cargo operations specifically.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Microsoft is currently experiencing a global outage which is impacting select systems at Heathrow. Flights are operational and we are implementing contingency plans to minimise any impact on journeys.”
Meanwhile, Heathrow-based IAG Cargo commented: “Following the large-scale IT outage impacting Microsoft systems, some of our operations may experience minor disruptions today. Our teams are working to minimise the impact and ensure cargo affected is on its way as soon as possible.”
Freight forwarder Scan Global Logistics (SGL) also said its IT systems were unaffected but warned of delays throughout the cargo supply chain in a market update. The Denmark-headquartered company said that “the current global IT issues stemming from the CrowdStrike outage may cause bottlenecks and delays with several of our airline partners in the coming days. SGL systems are not affected by the issues”.
SGL added: “CrowdStrike reports that the issue has been identified and a fix has been deployed. However, airlines and airports worldwide are reporting disruptions and flight cancellations.”
US airlines have also been affected, including Delta, United and American Airlines.
Delta said in a July 19 update: “All Delta flights are paused as we work through a vendor technology issue.” Meanwhile, United Cargo had an error message on its website.
American Airlines appears to have begun operating flights again, although the status of its air cargo ground handling operations is not yet clear. The airline said in a post on X today: “Earlier this morning, a technical issue with a vendor impacted multiple carriers, including American. As of 5:00 a.m. ET, we have been able to safely re-establish our operation. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said in an emailed statement: “The FAA is closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at US. airlines. Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops for their fleets until the issue is resolved.”
It later issued an updated statement that said: “The FAA continues to work closely with airlines as they work to resume normal operations. Ground stops and delays will be intermittent at various airports as the airlines work through residual technology issues. ”
US supply chain management company Flexport said its operations are unaffected: “While the situation is still developing, Flexport is unaffected. Our systems are fully operational and experiencing no disruptions.
“Initial reports confirm significant disruptions at numerous ports, airports, transportation systems, and customs systems worldwide. We are actively gathering information to identify which of our suppliers and partners have been impacted.”
Live air cargo capacity data from Rotate shows that “15-20% of flights around the world are being cancelled…with problems spreading” as a result of the IT outage, said company project manager, Tim van Leeuwen.
Data from the data, software, and consultancy service provider shows that at 8am UTC total outbound capacity was down 27.4% compared with a week earlier. By 11am it had narrowed to 7.8% and by midday it was down 2.2%.
Source: Rotate
