Global IT outage causes widespread disruption across UK

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - A major global IT outage has caused significant disruption across various sectors in the UK, including healthcare, transport, and banking on Friday.

The incident has left GPs struggling to access their records systems, which include online bookings, and pharmacy services have been unable to access prescriptions.

The transport sector has been heavily impacted, with long queues reported at UK airports.

British Airways has warned of potential flight disruptions, and Heathrow Airport confirmed that "select systems" were affected. National Rail has also reported "widespread IT issues," resulting in short-notice cancelations and delays across the train network.

Retailers have faced significant challenges, with several major chains, including Gail's, Morrisons, Ladbrokes, Jempson's, Waitrose, and Booths, unable to process card payments for part of the day.

Some retailers have since reported that the issue has been resolved.

Sam, a manager at Waitrose, explained the difficulties faced: "Card issues this morning meant we could only take cash. It got fixed around midday, but we still faced intermittent problems."

Television broadcasting was not spared, with British TV channels Sky News and CBBC going off air earlier in the day. Both channels are now back on air.

The outage has had a notable impact on everyday transactions and customer service. Jevontae, a cashier at a restaurant, described the situation: "Tills kept restarting every 10 minutes in the morning, causing delays. Many customers had to wait or use cash, but not everyone carries cash these days."

In an interview with Anadolu, IT business advisor Alex Stender highlighted the broader implications of the outage, saying: "What's happening here today is that IT systems have failed, and we are having to write down our names on a piece of paper. It's crazy in a world dominated by computers and AI. However, this is just an incident, albeit a serious one, and more will come. We need to be prepared for these changes for the future of humanity."