PH airports brace for passenger congestion amid Microsoft outage

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is preparing for the increase in passengers waiting at airports amid the global Microsoft outage that has affected at least two local airlines.

In a statement, the CAAP said there is already congestion at Davao International Airport Passenger Terminal Building caused by the system issue with Cebu Pacific, which has caused delays and two flight cancellations.

CAAP said it was activating "irregular operations protocols and closely coordinating with the airlines, PNP Aviation Security Group, and Office for Transportation Security."

"Additionally, personnel are adding more seating for passengers, personnel at the Malasakit Help desk and medical teams are on standby in the departure area," the CAAP said.

It’s gonna be one of those Fridays at the airport. IT outage paralyzes international and domestic flights in the Philippines. pic.twitter.com/F5zOea2zQG

— Chino Gaston (@chinogaston) July 19, 2024

At the NAIA Terminal 3, Chino Gaston of GMA Integrated News posted a on X (formerly Twitter) a photo of the crowd that has formed at the check-in counters amid the global Microsoft outage.

Cebu Pacific issued an advisory about a system downtime due to the Microsoft outage.

“Cebu Pacific advises its passengers that it is currently experiencing technical issues, reportedly related to technology provider CrowdStrike, which caused a global Microsoft system outage,” the airline said.

“This is a developing situation,” Cebu Pacific said.

The Gokongwei-led airline said the technical issue compelled the company 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. We appreciate your patience and understanding,” Cebu Pacific said.

AirAsia Philippines likewise disclosed that a global outage affecting Microsoft services has been confirmed by its partner, Navitaire.

“This outage is causing unexpected rebooting of machines, leading to some operational disruptions related to check-in processes and navigating the AirAsia MOVE app,” AirAsia Philippines communications and public affairs head Steve Dailisan said.

Microsoft is currently investigating the issue and has escalated the matter internally while also seeking external assistance to manage the situation effectively, according to AirAsia Philippines.

"AirAsia Philippines is closely monitoring the situation and is in constant communication with Navitaire and Microsoft. Our top priority is to minimize any impact on our guests and ensure that all systems are restored to full functionality as soon as possible," Dailisan said.

“As this is a developing situation, guests are advised to visit @flyairasiaph social media platforms and airasia newsroom and through their registered mobile phones and email accounts for timely flight updates,” he said.—NB, GMA Integrated News