Irish airlines, transport services, and the National Car Test (NCT) are among those impacted by a major global IT outage that grounded flights, disrupted hospital and financial services, and impacted media groups across the world. 

The Dublin Airport Authority (daa) has warned passengers traveling through Dublin Airport and Cork Airport to allow for more time due to the delay, with long queues forming at both airports. 

Dublin Airport is posting rolling updates on its social media feeds.

Passenger advice: 10.30am Update

✈️Due to a global IT issue, some airlines are experiencing issues with their check-in processes this morning.

✈️Passengers are advised to stay close to their airlines via their websites and social media feeds, for advice and updates on specific… pic.twitter.com/xqaufH5235

— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) July 19, 2024

Shannon Airport said it is fully operational, though some airline check-in services were being carried out manually.

The airport advised passengers to refer to their individual airlines for more updates.

Passengers are advised to refer to their airline for the most up-to-date information.

Thank you.#shannonairport

— Shannon Airport (@ShannonAirport) July 19, 2024

Belfast International Airport said it was operational and that passengers were being processed as normal, though noted that the global aviation network is still impacted and delays and cancellations can be expected.

The Airport continues to remain operational with passengers being processed as normal. The airport is part of a global aviation network that is still experiencing disruption so delays and cancellations can be expected. Please check with your airline for the latest updates.

— Belfast International Airport (@belfastairport) July 19, 2024

Aer Lingus said the global IT outage is not significantly impactings its services, with flights operating as normal, though with delays in some cases.

"A small number of Aer Lingus flights have been cancelled due to airport and air traffic control issues arising from the outage. Any further cancellations will be communicated directly to impacted customers.

"There may be some processing delays at airports so customers should allow extra time for check-in, security, immigration and boarding. Customers should check the Aer Lingus website and app for updates."

Ryanair said it has been forced to cancel a small number of flights, and advised passengers not to go to the airport if their flight has been canceled.

Update:

Unfortunately, we’ve been forced to cancel a small number of flights today (19 July) due to this Global 3rd party IT outage. Affected passengers have been notified and are advised to log into their myRyanair account-

Cont’d in comments https://t.co/zrmmgk7oEf

— Ryanair (@Ryanair) July 19, 2024

Meanwhile, Transport for Ireland said that public transport services are operating as normal today, as are on-board fare-payment systems. However, some functionality on the Leap Website, TFI Live, and Leap Top-Up Apps are experiencing technical issues.

We apologise for the inconvenience caused this morning to our customers unable to use our TFI Live and TFI Leap Top-up mobile apps.

There is a global outage affecting multiple countries at the moment. We don't have an estimated resolution time

— Transport for Ireland (@TFIupdates) July 19, 2024

Ireland's Road Safety Authority said it is experiencing some disruption to its services due to a global IT issue.

Applications for learner permits and driving licences cannot currently be processed at NDLS centres, the RSA said. It is currently not possible for the RSA to contact customers to cancel Friday's appointments. Work is continuing to rectify this and the RSA will update customers as soon as possible as to appropriate next steps. The NDLS online service, however, is operating as normal. 

National Car Test Service (NCTS) is experiencing some disruption, forcing tests to be scrapped at some centres today.

Update- The Road Safety Authority is experiencing some disruption to its services due to a global IT issue. Please visit the following link for more information: https://t.co/eg5UP1ci1M

— RSA Ireland (@RSAIreland) July 19, 2024

The massive outage has been attributed to Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity company whose software is used by hundreds of companies across the planet to protect against hackers and external threats.

Crowdstirke CEO George Kurtz said the company is "actively working" with customers impacted by the bug and said a fix was being deployed. 

"This is not a security incident or cyberattack," Kurtz said in a statement on social media. 

CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We…

— George Kurtz (@George_Kurtz) July 19, 2024

Cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt predicted it "will be the largest IT outage in history," adding later that "this is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it's actually happened this time."

Globally, the outage has impacted dozens of institutions, ranging from travel to media to banking to emergency services.

In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration's National Airspace System Status shows several ground delays, ground stops, and airport closures across the US.

Meanwhile, Sky News, one of the largest news channels in Britain, was also unable to transmit live due to the outage. In Germany, at least two hospitals canceled elective surgeries on Friday due to the outage. 

Banks and financial institutions across the world have also been impacted by the outage, with the London Stock Exchange Group reporting an outage of its data and news platform Workspace. 

However, in Ireland, AIB, Bank of Ireland, and PTSB have reported no disruption to their services though they are monitoring the situation.