UPDATE - Australia hit by ‘large-scale technical outage'

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM AIRASIA, CEBU PACIFIC AIR AND SINGAPORE AIRLINES

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Australia experienced a "large-scale technical outage" on Friday, the country's cybersecurity coordinator said.

Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness said the technical outage has impacted several companies and services throughout Australia.

“Our current information is this outage relates to a technical issue with a third-party software platform employed by affected companies,” he said on X.

“There is no information to suggest it is a cyber security incident. We continue to engage across key stakeholders,” he added.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation also reported that it has been “experiencing a major network outage, along with several other media outlets.”

People in New Zealand also reported disruptions in banking services.

Acting Prime Minister David Seymour said the government is “working to ensure that impacts on lifelines services are minimized and national coordination structures are activated, if required.”

“We appreciate the inconvenience this is causing for the public, retailers and businesses,” Seymour said on X.

He added: “I have not currently received any reporting to indicate these issues are related to malicious cyber security activity.”

- Airlines affected

Singapore Airlines said its services and reservation hotlines were “currently experiencing technical issues due to a global IT system outage.”

However, it said there was no impact on the flights, “which are operating as scheduled.”

AirAsia airlines said its core reservation and check-in system were “impacted by a global IT issue affecting airlines worldwide.”

“You may experience slower check-ins and longer queues and we are doing our best to address this situation. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time,” it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific Air said its system was also facing disruption due to the Microsoft outage.

“The technical issue requires us to handle affected processes manually, potentially causing delays.

“We are working closely with our teams to mitigate disruptions to our operations and will provide regular updates as the situation progresses,” it said in a statement.

Europe reported on Friday that a major Microsoft IT outage disrupted people's daily lives, affecting airports, airlines, businesses, media outlets, and stock exchanges.

A significant chain of failures spread from the US to Asia following Microsoft's announcement of an outage affecting its online services.