Air New Zealand passengers are advised to brace for extended wait times and disruptions following a worldwide Microsoft Azure outage that has affected various websites, including NZ Police and Auckland Transport.
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue, attributing it to an inadvertent configuration change. The company has implemented measures to rectify the problem, stating that customers may soon notice improvements as they restore nodes and reroute traffic through healthy ones.
While mitigation efforts are ongoing, Microsoft has temporarily blocked customer configuration changes. Air NZ’s chief customer and digital officer, Jeremy O’Brien, has urged travelers to allot extra time at the airport due to the impact on payments and digital boarding processes.
Parliament’s official website was also down on Thursday morning, with NZ Police acknowledging the outage’s impact on their websites. However, they assured the public that emergency services remain unaffected.
Outage tracker Downdetector has recorded numerous reports of disruptions globally, with Microsoft 365 users potentially experiencing delays with Outlook and other services. In the UK, Heathrow airport, NatWest bank, and Minecraft have also reported issues amidst the widespread outage.
