Global IT outage hits air transport, markets in Italy

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 19 - Italy was not immune to the worldwide disruption caused by a major IT outage related to a update problem with the Crowdstrike security software for Microsoft Windows on Friday.
    ITA Airways said that it was working to "limit the inconvenience to passengers as much as possible" with the air-transport sector among the worst affected.
    It said that, while its IT systems "continued to function properly thanks to backup solutions", air traffic-restrictions and problems at airports had caused delays and the "cancellation of 60 flights - 34 at Rome's Fiumicino airport and 26 at Milan Linate".
    In total around 50 flights to or from Fiumicino were cancelled.
    Aeroporti di Roma, the company that runs the airport, said there were no consequences on its operational systems, but problems were inevitable due to repercussions on flights connecting the US and Europe.
    It said there were delays, averaging between 60 and 90 minutes, on flights regarding New York, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Alicante, Barcelona, London, Manchester and Edinburgh.
    The Milan stock exchange's Ftse Mib index was not updated for several spells on Friday.
    Highways company Autostrade per l'Italia (Aspi) said it had activated its Business Continuity IT system early on Friday and had put on extra staff in order to cope with the disruption, stressing that "the service on the network was always guaranteed".
    Energy company Enel said apologised for problems related to the outage on access to customer services such as helplines and said it was working to solve them.
    A specialist unit of the Italian Cybersecurity Agency was expected to meet to on Friday to assess the effects of the disruption. (ANSA).