Global air cargo operations took a hit from the recent tech failure caused by a Microsoft IT outage triggered by cyber security company Crowdstrike's software update.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is "closely monitoring" a technical issue impacting IT systems at US airlines, noting that several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops for their fleets until the issue is resolved.

"The FAA continues to work closely with airlines as they work to resume normal operations. Ground stops and delays will be intermittent at various airports as the airlines work through residual technology issues," the FAA said in an updated statement.

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), one of North America's busiest cargo airports, reported a "significant operational impact" from the IT failure.

"The recent Microsoft issue has had significant operational impacts on the Alaska International Airport System (AIAS), Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)," it said, adding that both airports are experiencing multiple flight delays and ANC has seen several flight cancellations across multiple airlines.

"Given the impacts nationwide, we can expect delays and cancellations at least for the next 24 hours as airlines resume operations," it added while noting that the issue caused operational disruption to at least eight flights in ANC.

US airlines, American Airlines, Delta and United Cargo also reported impact.

"All Delta flights are paused as we work through a vendor technology issue," it said in a July 19 update.

American Airlines said: "Earlier this morning, a technical issue with a vendor impacted multiple carriers, including American. As of 5:00 a.m. ET, we have been able to safely re-establish our operation. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

United Cargo said: "We wanted to inform you about a significant issue that is currently affecting our operations. Last night, a global third-party software outage disrupted computer systems worldwide, including United Airlines. As a result, we have faced several operational challenges, leading to delays and some cancellations."

"We are actively working to resolve these issues and have already resumed some flights this morning. However, we anticipate continued disruptions throughout the day," the operational alert said.

US-headquartered FedEx Corp and UPS Inc. also warned of potential delivery delays from global tech outages.

FedEx said it is seeing "substantial disruptions throughout our networks" due to the third-party issues. The company said it is implementing contingency plans but said delays are likely for parcels scheduled for delivery on July 19.

UPS said some of its computer systems are being affected, and it is also looking at workarounds to minimize interruptions.

"A third-party software outage is impacting some UPS computer systems in the US and Europe. At this time, our airline continues to operate effectively and our drivers are on the roads delivering for customers,"  it said. "We are continuing to work to resolve all issues as quickly as possible; there may be some service delays."

American supply chain management company Flexport said its operations are "unaffected" by the IT outage.

"While the situation is still developing, Flexport is unaffected. Our systems are fully operational and experiencing no disruptions," it said.

"Initial reports confirm significant disruptions at numerous ports, airports, transportation systems, and customs systems worldwide. We are actively gathering information to identify which of our suppliers and partners have been impacted," it added.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)—the world's busiest cargo hub—has noted an impact, but mostly in passenger services.

"The Microsoft outage has affected the passenger check-in service of some airlines today. All the affected departure flights have largely completed the check-in process, and the Hong Kong International Airport's (HKIA) departure hall has resumed normal operations," the airport said on July 19.

It added that airport operation systems and flight movements have been normal.

In Europe, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol confirmed it has been affected by the IT outage, saying there is currently a global computer failure.

"This disruption also has an impact on flights to and from Schiphol," it said in an update posted on its website.

Lufthansa Cargo said: "Due to an IT malfunction, there are currently disruptions in global air traffic. Lufthansa Cargo is one of the many airlines affected. The handling processes at Lufthansa Cargo's hubs in Frankfurt and Munich amongst others are currently heavily affected."

"We are working at full speed to rectify the disruption. Due to the disruptions, delays and flight cancellations are to be expected during the course of the day," it added.

Cargolux, Europe's biggest all-cargo airline, said: "We are currently experiencing disruption of some of our services due to a Global 3rd party IT outage, which is out of our control. Our flights are not impacted."