DUBLIN AIRPORT REMAINS largely unaffected by a global tech outage that has seen planes grounded at other airports and broadcasters and websites taken offline.

Ryanair has advised passengers to arrive three hours before their scheduled departure time, while the RSA has said some of its NCT test centres are not in operation due to the “significant disruption”. 

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has said the IT issue, which was caused by a flaw in a software update pushed out to customers using Windows PCs, is not a “security incident or cyberattack” and that a “fix has been deployed”.

All Spanish airports, three Indian airlines, and the Netherlands’ airport Schiphol have all reported being significantly impacted by the outage, while some major US airlines have grounded all flights over the issue.

Ireland’s National Cyber Security Centre has said it is contacting its constituents and stakeholders to ascertain the level of impact to systems in the country.

Government CIOs met this morning to share information on the impact of the #CloudStrike outage. Two govt services are down:
1. NCT online booking -an alternative is to book by phone 01-4135992
2. Leap Card online top-up- an alternative is to top-up at a retailer or train station…

— Ossian Smyth TD (@smytho) July 19, 2024

“Whilst there are impacts in several sectors, all essential services continue to operate normally. Similarly, Government IT is not currently affected,” it said in a statement.

“We are aware that there may be unexpected impacts to citizens arising from the incident, and we will continue to work with any providers affected to gain an understanding of how their systems may have been affected, and to provide assistance remediating the issue.”

Air travel

The DAA has said that there are currently no widespread issues at Dublin Airport or Cork Airport, with Ryanair’s check-in processes currently the most impacted. 

Passenger advice: 10.30am Update

✈️Due to a global IT issue, some airlines are experiencing issues with their check-in processes this morning.

✈️Passengers are advised to stay close to their airlines via their websites and social media feeds, for advice and updates on specific… pic.twitter.com/xqaufH5235

— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) July 19, 2024

A spokesperson said that while some other airlines have been impacted by the outage, their manual workarounds are working at the moment. 

Additional staff have been deployed in Terminals 1 and 2 to help airlines and passengers. 

In a statement, DAA said: “Passengers are advised to stay close to their airlines via their websites and social media feeds, for advice and updates on specific flights. 

“Dublin Airport’s standard passenger advice applies for all other passengers: arrive 2 hours before a short-haul flight and 3 hours before a long-haul flight.” 

Ryanair has said it is experiencing disruption across its network due to the outage. “We advise all passengers to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure time,” the airline said in a statement. 

If you're due to travel today and have not already checked-in for your flight, you can do so at the airport. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this Global 3rd party IT outage.

— Ryanair (@Ryanair) July 19, 2024

Aer Lingus said its flights are mainly operating as normal, but there may be some processing delays at airports.

It advised customers to allow extra time for check-in, security, immigration and boarding, and to check the airline’s website or app for updates. 

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has issued advice to passengers who may have their flights delayed or cancelled due to the outage.

In a statement, the IAA said: “You are entitled to your choice of a refund or re-routing to your destination, care and assistance while awaiting rerouting.”

It advised passengers to check its website for their consumer protection rights.

RSA experiencing ‘significant disruption’

The Road Safety Authority has said it is experiencing “significant disruption” to its services due to a global IT issue.

In a statement, it said: “The National Car Test Service (NCTS) is experiencing disruption across a significant number of its test centres and, as a result, no tests are currently taking place in those centres.”

“The following test centres are in operation: Athlone, Cork Little Island, Deansgrange, Fonthill, Greenhills & Limerick.”

The RSA said applications for learner permits and driving licences “cannot currently be processed at NDLS centres”, and it is currently not possible to contact customers to cancel today’s appointments.

It said driving tests are currently taking place, adding that tests can be booked and customers are advised to arrive for their test as scheduled.

“The NCTS website and Contact Centre Network is now back in operation. Every endeavour is being made to rectify the technical issues and progress has been made this morning.”

Public transport

Irish Rail and Dublin Bus have told The Journal that their systems have not been affected and are operating as normal.

We apologise for the inconvenience caused this morning to our customers unable to use our TFI Live and TFI Leap Top-up mobile apps.

There is a global outage affecting multiple countries at the moment. We don't have an estimated resolution time

— Transport for Ireland (@TFIupdates) July 19, 2024

However, Transport for Ireland has apologised to customers who are unable to use its TFI Live and TFI Leap Top-up mobile apps.

“There is a global outage affecting multiple countries at the moment. We don’t have an estimated resolution time,” it said.

A spokesperson for TFI told The Journal that they do not believe the outage is impacting public transport services.

A spokesperson for Dublin Port told The Journal that while there was some brief congestion there this morning, the port is fully operational.