Hong Kong airport affected by global Microsoft outage as airlines move to manual check-in
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s airport has been impacted by a major global Microsoft outage, with affected airlines forced to check passengers in manually.
“A Microsoft outage that has disrupted the service of airlines worldwide is affecting some of the airlines at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA),” an Airport Authority Hong Kong spokesperson told HKFP on Friday afternoon, adding that flight operations had not been affected.
A message posted on Hong Kong flagship carrier Cathay Pacific’s website at 2.45 pm said that self check-in services at Hong Kong International Airport were unavailable “due to unexpected technical issues.” At 5.15 pm, another message appeared, saying that flight booking services were also unavailable.
Cathay subsidiary, low-cost carrier HK Express was also affected. “Due to a global service outage of Microsoft, Navitaire, our global e-commerce system has been affected,” the airline said in a post on Facebook. It added that its website, mobile app, and WeChat mini-app had all been affected.
“Self-service check-in facilities at Hong Kong International Airport and our departure control system have also been affected, we are currently performing manual check-in procedures for our passengers,” HK Express said, calling for travellers to allow at least three hours for check-in.
The Airport Authority said that it had “activated its emergency response mechanism in response to the situation,” and also advised travellers “to allow sufficient time to travel to the airport for check-in procedures, and stay alert to updates.”
Airlines, banks, media outlets and businesses around the world have been hit by the outage, with Microsoft saying that the cause remained unknown and that it was taking “mitigation action,” according to the BBC.
Last month, Hong Kong’s airport experienced a nine-hour system failure that saw the terminal’s display screens, the airport’s website and its mobile app failing to provide real time updates on flight information.
Large whiteboards with handwritten updates about departure gates were placed at service counters and passengers sought directions from airport staff.
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