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New Delhi: The worldwide Microsoft outage that crippled aviation globally had its impact in India too, with over 300 flights cancelled by desi airlines on Friday — including 273 of IndiGo alone (as of 8 pm). Flights that operated did so with long delays at choked airports with serpentine queues.
Manual processes were followed as servers were down and no DigiYatra worked at entrance.Most airlines issued hand-written boarding cards, with cards being stamped security cleared. No information boards were working to indicate boarding gate numbers for different flights.
Fresh bookings and re-bookings (for passengers of cancelled or badly delayed flights) were also impacted for many airlines that use the affected IT system, including IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa and SpiceJet. Others were also affected in varying measures. The outage started around 10.40 am and was ongoing till late night. Airlines urged passengers not to contact call centres, where phones were ringing non-stop, unless their flight was within 24 hours.
Recounting most passengers’ experience, Shiv Shivkumar, operating partner at Advent International and former PepsiCo (India) chairman, said on social media: “Absolute chaos at Delhi T3. All systems down. All airlines impacted. Scanners & DigiYatra not working. Counter computers very limited. If you are travelling out of Delhi (Friday) budget an extra hour and carry printed copies of ticket and boarding card.” His Vistara flight took off with a delay of 82 minutes.
“IndiGo is currently experiencing delays and cancellations due to global outages faced by its cloud server software and software provider. Outage has severely disrupted airline operations by impacting critical systems used for flight operations, passenger check-in, and baggage handling…. airline’s staff prioritising passengers who have departures in the next 120 minutes, ensuring that flights can continue with minimal delays,” IndiGo said in a statement. Those booked on cancelled flights were advised not to reach airports. “Flights are cancelled due to cascading effect of the worldwide travel system outage, beyond our control. The option to rebook/claim a refund is temporarily unavailable,” IndiGo said on X.
Union aviation minister Rammohan Naidu said Indian airports are facing unexpected delays because of the outage. “I have directed airport authorities and airlines to be compassionate and provide extra seating, water and food to passengers affected by delays… instructed (them) to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance,” Naidu said. In a statement, Adani Airports said: “During this (outage) booking, check-in, access to boarding passes and flights are likely to be impacted. We are collaborating with airlines to manage operations and minimise delays.” Adani runs airports in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram.
A Bangalore Airport spokesperson said the global outage with Navitaire Departure Control System (DCS) affected operations of some airlines across their network. “The common use terminal equipment (CUTE) and common use self service (CUSS) systems are also experiencing disruptions. In response to this situation, Indigo, Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa have taken proactive measures by initiating manual check-ins to ensure minimal disruption to passengers and flight schedules,” she said.
Akasa said: “…some of our online services, including booking, check-in and manage booking services will be temporarily unavailable. Currently we are following manual check-in and boarding processes and hence request passengers with immediate travel plans to reach the airport early to check-in at our counters.”
Manual processes were followed as servers were down and no DigiYatra worked at entrance.Most airlines issued hand-written boarding cards, with cards being stamped security cleared. No information boards were working to indicate boarding gate numbers for different flights.
Fresh bookings and re-bookings (for passengers of cancelled or badly delayed flights) were also impacted for many airlines that use the affected IT system, including IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa and SpiceJet. Others were also affected in varying measures. The outage started around 10.40 am and was ongoing till late night. Airlines urged passengers not to contact call centres, where phones were ringing non-stop, unless their flight was within 24 hours.
Recounting most passengers’ experience, Shiv Shivkumar, operating partner at Advent International and former PepsiCo (India) chairman, said on social media: “Absolute chaos at Delhi T3. All systems down. All airlines impacted. Scanners & DigiYatra not working. Counter computers very limited. If you are travelling out of Delhi (Friday) budget an extra hour and carry printed copies of ticket and boarding card.” His Vistara flight took off with a delay of 82 minutes.
“IndiGo is currently experiencing delays and cancellations due to global outages faced by its cloud server software and software provider. Outage has severely disrupted airline operations by impacting critical systems used for flight operations, passenger check-in, and baggage handling…. airline’s staff prioritising passengers who have departures in the next 120 minutes, ensuring that flights can continue with minimal delays,” IndiGo said in a statement. Those booked on cancelled flights were advised not to reach airports. “Flights are cancelled due to cascading effect of the worldwide travel system outage, beyond our control. The option to rebook/claim a refund is temporarily unavailable,” IndiGo said on X.
Union aviation minister Rammohan Naidu said Indian airports are facing unexpected delays because of the outage. “I have directed airport authorities and airlines to be compassionate and provide extra seating, water and food to passengers affected by delays… instructed (them) to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance,” Naidu said. In a statement, Adani Airports said: “During this (outage) booking, check-in, access to boarding passes and flights are likely to be impacted. We are collaborating with airlines to manage operations and minimise delays.” Adani runs airports in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram.
A Bangalore Airport spokesperson said the global outage with Navitaire Departure Control System (DCS) affected operations of some airlines across their network. “The common use terminal equipment (CUTE) and common use self service (CUSS) systems are also experiencing disruptions. In response to this situation, Indigo, Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa have taken proactive measures by initiating manual check-ins to ensure minimal disruption to passengers and flight schedules,” she said.
Akasa said: “…some of our online services, including booking, check-in and manage booking services will be temporarily unavailable. Currently we are following manual check-in and boarding processes and hence request passengers with immediate travel plans to reach the airport early to check-in at our counters.”
