Delta cancels 600 flights in wake of cyber outage

Published July 23, 2024
A Delta agent helps passengers after cancelled and delayed flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on July 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Delta Airlines cancelled over 700 flights on Monday due to the Crowdstrike software update, making up more than half of the flight cancellations in the US   — AFP via Getty Images
A Delta agent helps passengers after cancelled and delayed flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on July 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Delta Airlines cancelled over 700 flights on Monday due to the Crowdstrike software update, making up more than half of the flight cancellations in the US — AFP via Getty Images

Atlanta: Delta Air Lines cancelled more than 600 flights on Monday, as the US air carrier continued to struggle to restore operations after last week’s global cyber outage, even as other airlines were recovering from the incident.

About 16 per cent of Delta’s flights had been canceled as of 7am EST, according to data from FlightAware, out of roughly 1,100 flights to or from the United States overall, the web site said.

The issue has stranded thousands of Delta travelers across the United States, with some having to rent cars to drive hundreds of miles while others could have to wait days for new flights or cancel trips altogether.

The Atlanta-based airline is battling operational issues after the outage hit its crew tracking system. Delta’s total number of canceled flights since Friday has exceeded 5,000.

A software update by global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike triggered system problems for Microsoft customers, including many airlines, on Friday. Although other US airlines have largely recovered, Delta has struggled to return to normal. American Airlines had called off 1pc of its flights on Monday, while United Airlines canceled less than 1pc. Delta shares were little changed in premarket trading on Monday.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Removing subsidies
Updated 09 May, 2026

Removing subsidies

The government no longer has the budgetary space to continue carrying hundreds of billions of rupees in untargeted subsidies while the power sector itself remains trapped in circular debt, inefficiencies, theft and under-recovery.
Scarred at home
09 May, 2026

Scarred at home

WHEN homes turn violent towards children, the psychosocial damage is lifelong. In Pakistan, parental violence is...
Zionist zealotry
09 May, 2026

Zionist zealotry

BOTH the Israeli military and far-right citizens of the Zionist state have been involved in appalling hate crimes...
Shifting climate tone
Updated 08 May, 2026

Shifting climate tone

Our financial system is geared towards short-term, risk-averse lending, while climate adaptation and green infrastructure require patient, long-term capital.
Honour and impunity
08 May, 2026

Honour and impunity

THE Sindh Assembly’s discussion on karo-kari this week reminds us of the enduring nature of ‘honour’ killings...
No real change
08 May, 2026

No real change

THE Indian sports ministry’s move to allow Pakistani players and teams to participate in multilateral events ...