Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) is facing flight disruptions due to a global technology outage that has grounded flights, affected banks, and taken media outlets off-air on Friday.
In a statement issued Friday morning, July 19, 2024, airport officials announced, “The FAA has issued a global ground stop due to an IT outage. Please contact your airline before arriving to VPS. We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates.”
Tracy Stage, Airports Director, provided further insight into the situation. “We continue to work closely with airlines as they work to resume normal operations,” Stage said. “Ground stops and delays will be intermittent as the airlines work through residual technology issues.”
- He advised passengers to “Check with your airline and flight status regularly before you come to the airport.”
The local disruptions are part of a larger global issue. According to Axios, major carriers including American, Delta, and United Airlines have grounded flights due to communications problems. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert about an hour after Microsoft resolved a cloud services outage that had affected several low-cost carriers, Reuters reported.
The FAA stated on X, “The FAA is closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at U.S. airlines. Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved.”
Reports indicate that the outage is linked to CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company servicing multiple industries, which experienced a global outage on Friday.
As the situation continues to evolve, passengers planning to fly from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport are strongly encouraged to check their flight status and contact their airline before heading to the airport.
