Air cargo operations are returning to normal with limited delays expected following the chaos caused by the recent global IT malfunction.
The Microsoft IT outage, which saw many air cargo operations go down after computer systems failed at airlines and airports worldwide, was triggered by a software update from cyber security company Crowdstrike.
Ground handler Swissport told Air Cargo News (ACN) on July 22 that the IT outage only had a minor impact on its business worldwide.
“Our cargo operations are running smoothly globally. We only saw a few delays and cancellations by some airlines in the first 24 hours after the incident occurred early Friday.”
Germany-headquartered Lufthansa Cargo also confirmed to ACN on July 22 that the IT outage had a minor impact only: “Our teams were able to return to normal operations on Friday afternoon already. We only had minor delays in the transport of single shipments but, fortunately, no flight cancellations.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian airline Saudia Cargo said in a July 22 statement: “Flights operated as planned, due to a successful creation of a business continuity plan, which is in line with GACA and in the process of receiving ISO certification.
“On the side of Cybersecurity, we have conducted drills over the past period to successfully assess the implementation of the plan which was indeed successful. From a risk mitigation perspective, we have learned a plausible risk from this crisis which will help us plan better for the future.”
Freight forwarder Geodis said it was business as usual in an operational update on July 22, but noted shippers could encounter some delays.
“After the global IT outage caused by CrowdStrike has been solved, our applications are running as usual. There might still be some operational backlog delays but we will resolve them rapidly.”
Schiphol Airport confirmed on the morning of Friday July 19 that the IT issues had resulted in a “major impact” on flights.
However, by the time of its latest update on the evening of July 19, the cargo hub said its technology systems were functioning: “This outage has so far led to some 200 cancelled and 150 delayed flights. The outage has been largely resolved and systems are back up and running.”
US airlines Delta, United and American Airlines had initially grounded flights and the current status of operations is not yet clear for Delta and United.
American Airlines’s latest statement on July 19 said operations were running with some disruptions expected: “As of 5 a.m. ET, we were able to safely reestablish our operation. We expect there will be impact to our flight schedule today, including delays and cancellations, but we are accepting all cargo products at all stations at this time.”
Delta noted in a July 21 website update: “Due to Global IT Outage, all DL-Operated flights may be impacted.”
Although many stakeholders have reported operations are largely back to normal, supply chain data firm Xeneta warned last week that the IT failure could take weeks to recover from due to the sheer number of flights that were disrupted.
ACN has reached out to a number of stakeholders in the industry and as of publication is still awaiting comment from companies.
Source: https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/air-cargo-in-recovery-mode-after-crowdstrike-it-outage/
The transatlantic airfreight lane will have much less capacity from September due to the winter season and shifting of capacity to the Asia-Europe trade lane.
Strong air cargo demand continued in July from all of the main global origin regions, including double-digit year-on-year
The transatlantic airfreight lane will have much less capacity from September due to the winter season and shifting of capacity to the Asia-Europe trade lane.
Logistics professionals and analysts expect the air cargo market’s remarkably strong first half to build momentum during the final months of the year
Air cargo tonnages from Asia Pacific have rebounded strongly in the last full week of August after dipping sharply the previous week due to flight cancellations resulting...
The report also highlights the impact that increased air freight has had on emissions, noting that “the green transition in air cargo still has a long way to go”.
Vietnam and other emerging markets in Asia are not yet major net winners of production relocation from China, whose role in global trade will not diminish drastically as global...
Attempts by businesses to reduce their dependence on Chinese imports are becoming more difficult as the US-China tariff war intensifies.
Global airfreight rates are little changed according to the TAC Index price reporting agency, but there is movement on individual lanes.
ALS