A widespread Microsoft Windows bug has caused chaos at major airports around the world, including Manchester Airport.

The problem, which caused the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” on computers running the affected software, also affected banks, telecommunications companies, broadcasters and supermarkets around the world.

Social media is awash with travelers expressing their frustration over delays and disruptions at airports due to the IT breakdown. Ryanair has informed its customers of a “network-wide disruption due to a global third-party IT outage” and advised passengers to be at the airport at least three hours before departure.

Although many travellers have voiced their anger online with complaints about disruption, Manchester Airport has said that at present “passengers are advised to prepare for a normal journey”. Check-in areas are busier than usual and may take a little longer, but the airport is not requiring people to arrive at the airport earlier than advised by their airlines, the MEN was told.

READ MORE: Trains affected by ‘widespread’ IT problems, last-minute outage warning across the network

@SteWok wrote to Ryanair on X: “I’m grounded in Manchester for three hours because there was an IT failure at Berlin airport and your cabin crew won’t sell me a bottle of water because the door is open. A damn disgrace.”

@eddy682 wrote: “What’s going on at Manchester airport this morning? Check-in is an absolute shit show. At least 1,000 people waiting. Three check-in desks occupied.

“Got 20 feet in half an hour. Then got put in another line, this time no check-in counters. What the hell?”

However, the airport has indicated that Swissport, one of the ground handling service providers, “is affected and not the whole of Manchester Airport”. “This means that certain flights handled by Swissport will need to be checked in manually, which takes a little longer,” the MEN was also told by the airport, who said: “Tui and Ryanair both use Swissport – but the majority of flights are not affected.”

A Ryanair spokesperson commented: “We are currently experiencing disruption across our network due to a global third-party IT outage that is outside of our control. We advise all passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled departure time.”

They added: “If you are departing today and have not yet checked in for your flight, you can do so at the airport. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this global third-party IT outage.”

The airport has also said some of its retailers will not be able to accept card payments. The global IT outages have also impacted banking services. In Australia and Asia, people reported problems with their online banks this morning, and Britons have had problems with Visa.

Outage tracker Downdetector is showing reports of UK shoppers experiencing issues with Visa this morning, while some stores say they are unable to accept payments. Social media users have started sharing images of signs outside shops this morning.

Here is the latest update on flights delayed by 30 minutes or more from Manchester Airport (according to data from flightradar24.com).

Delayed flights:

The TUI flight BY156 at 10:10 a.m. to Punta Cana is now expected to depart at 10:50 a.m.

Virgin Atlantic flight VS75 to Orlando at 11:00 am is delayed to 6:36 pm.

The Ryanair flight FR6838 at 11:10 to Prague is now expected to depart at 12:10.

The Pegasus flight PC5816 to Antalya at 12:50 is now scheduled to take off at 13:35.

The EasyJet flight U22197 at 13:40 to Munich is now scheduled to depart at 14:56.

The EasyJet flight U22187 at 14:25 to Geneva is now expected to depart at 15:18.