Is the aviation industry too reliant on the internet?

Microsoft's global IT outage has rocked the aviation industry - but it has taught us a valuable lesson. Join us today as we explore this.

In a world dominated by computers and the internet, the growing reliance on this infrastructure, particularly in aviation, has raised a few eyebrows, to say the least. Furthermore, the recent outage of Microsoft due to a cybersecurity defect has exacerbated this uproar in the monopolistic paradigm that we are living in currently. So, the question that arises is whether there is an escape or are we doomed to fall into a never-ending void.

For starters, let’s give a brief introduction to the actual outage. The 2024 Microsoft outage was triggered by a faulty update sent by its cybersecurity partner, CrowdStrike. Globally, roughly 8.5 million devices were affected. This incident is the largest (and most catastrophic) ICT downfall of all time.  Because of this incident, American Airlines had to halt operations, as their internal communication relied on this infrastructure. The incident has led to estimated losses of $5.4 billion for Fortune 500 companies.

I believe that comprehension over dependency is critical over here. We can only escape this if each airline or firm develops its own independent technology and backup systems. Overreliance is not a problem unless it leads to complacency. If American Airlines had understood its overreliance on Microsoft technology, it would have understood the possible aftereffects of an outage, possibly saving it billions in losses due to stagnant flights. India, for example, has primarily indigenous technology; hence, Indian airlines (except for Indigo) were not significantly impacted. This demonstrates how, in a future filled with the wonders of the internet, we must remain conscious of our choices and the potential ramifications of them.