Microsoft outage disrupts global flights, Baltic Hub operations

"At Baltic Hub we are struggling with a global outage of Microsoft operating systems, which impedes the functioning of the terminal. We are working to resolve the issue. We will inform you immediately as soon as the outage is removed. Please do not come to the Terminal," Baltic Hub announced in a statement on Friday.

Microsoft Poland spokeswoman Anna Klimczuk said there were two simultaneous outages on Friday —one related to Microsoft software and the other to a software update from the external company CrowdStrike. "We are working on restoring services as soon as possible," the company reported.

"We are aware that the issue affects some customers. We understand the impact this might have on them and are working to restore services to those who are still experiencing disruptions as quickly as possible," the company said in a statement.

In the United States, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Allegiant Air flights were suspended due to the outage. In Europe, issues were reported by Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, and SAS, among others. The outage also affected the Swiss companies Swissguide, which handles flight control, and Swissport, which services passengers and cargo at airports worldwide.

In Berlin, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) was temporarily suspended, and disruptions were reported at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Prague Airport reported issues during check-in and expected the problems to last until the afternoon. In Spain, the outage led to disruptions in Aena's system, which manages all airports, potentially causing flight delays.

At least one of the airports in Brussels reported disruptions.

Baltic Hub, launched in 2007 under the name DCT Gdańsk, has a handling capacity of up to 3 million TEU annually.

The terminal's two deep-water quays are 0.8 miles long, allowing for the handling of four ships simultaneously. The terminal handles over 700 ships annually, including the largest container ships in the world.

In 2023, the terminal handled 2.05 million TEU and employs over 1,400 people.