Global technology outage impacts metro Phoenix emergency services, travel

PHOENIX – Metro Phoenix emergency services and travel were impacted by a global technology outage early Friday.

The Phoenix Police Department said its computerized 911 dispatch center was affected for several hours, starting late Thursday night, although its 911 center remained operational.

“City IT is working diligently to find a workaround until the outage has been restored,” the department said in a statement on X around 2 a.m.

All systems were restored before 6 a.m., the department announced.

“If you called for non-emergency police assistance during the outage, please be patient as we work through those calls,” the department said on X.

The widespread outage also impacted some Friday flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, officials said.

As of 12:30 p.m., flight-tracking website FlightAware showed more than 200 flights in or out of Sky Harbor as delayed, with 65 cancellations.

Meanwhile, many flights out of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport were canceled, according to the East Valley facility’s flight status web page.

Officials advised travelers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

Alert: A global technology issue is impacting some flights. Travelers should check their flight status before coming to the airport. We will provide more updates as they become available.

— Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (@PHXSkyHarbor) July 19, 2024

Valley Metro said buses were operating as scheduled Friday morning but there could be issues with trip planning and bus location services.

What caused global technology outage

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said the outage wasn’t believed to be caused by a security incident or cyberattack. The company said the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows.

CrowdStrike is one of the world’s leading cybersecurity providers, particularly in the transportation and banking sectors that have a lot at stake in keeping their computer systems working.

According to The Associated Press, the issue grounded flights and disrupted banks, hospital systems and media outlets.

DownDectector, which tracks user-reported disruptions to internet services, recorded that airlines, payment platforms and online shopping websites across the world were affected — although the disruption appeared piecemeal and was apparently related to whether the companies used Microsoft cloud-based services.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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