Delta Air Lines has delayed its scheduled noon flight from Lagos to Atlanta, US, due to technical issues.
The operator announced in a statement on Friday that all its flights were temporarily paused as it worked to resolve a vendor technology problem.
Earlier, a massive technical outage struck businesses worldwide, causing disruptions in various sectors, including aviation, finance, healthcare, transportation, and retail.
This outage was caused by a problem with Microsoft’s cloud computing services.
Officials at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos said they were awaiting signals from Atlanta, US, to determine when the flight could depart.
“No signals have been received yet.
“It’s certain that the flight won’t go as planned,” one official, who declined to be named, told newsmen
Delta stated, “Any customers whose flights are impacted will be notified by Delta via the Fly Delta app and text message. Customers should use the Fly Delta app for updates.”
The airline apologised for the inconvenience and said it would notify affected customers via its app and text message.
Delta added that reports indicated other airlines might also be impacted.
Turkey’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, confirmed it was affected by the massive global IT outage on Friday, according to the BBC.
A spokesperson said that as of 13:00 local time (11:00 BST), 84 of its flights to and from Istanbul and various locations across Europe have been cancelled.
Turkish Airlines’ low-cost carrier, AJet, also reported experiencing disruptions to online ticketing, reservations, and call centres.
The airline apologized for the inconvenience and said flights would “gradually return to normal.”
According to reports, Hong Kong’s airport said some airlines had been affected, with its authority issuing a statement linking the disruption to a Microsoft outage.
The UK’s biggest rail operator warned of possible train cancellations due to IT issues, while photos posted online showed large queues forming at Sydney Airport in Australia.
“Flights are currently arriving and departing; however, there may be some delays throughout the evening,” a Sydney Airport spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has said it is taking “mitigation actions” in response to service issues.
“Our services are still seeing continuous improvements while we continue to take mitigation actions,” the tech giant said in a post on X (formerly Twitter)