Global Airport Operations Hampered by Microsoft Outage, Numerous Flights Cancelled

Airport and airline operations across India faced significant disruptions on Friday due to a global Microsoft outage. IndiGo alone had to cancel around 200 flights, while numerous others experienced delays. The outage began at 10:40 am, causing chaos as services like bookings, check-in, and boarding switched to manual processes.

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Impact on Major Airports

The outage particularly affected high-density airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai. Passengers at these airports faced long queues and delays. A Bengaluru airport spokesperson mentioned that airlines like IndiGo, Akasa, SpiceJet, and Air India Express were among those impacted.

Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport saw 23 flights cancelled, including 12 departures and 11 arrivals. Flights to Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru were among those affected. The airport operator GMR assured passengers they were working with stakeholders to minimise inconvenience.

Manual Processes Lead to Delays

With systems down, manual processing of tickets took significantly longer. One passenger noted it took about 30-40 minutes to process each ticket manually. This led to long waits and frustration among travellers. "They are doing it manually so obviously it will take time," said a passenger.

The web check-in feature was also temporarily unavailable, adding to the chaos. Passengers complained about the lack of information regarding their flights and expressed their frustration with airline staff.

Government Response

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu assured passengers that the ministry and Airports Authority of India (AAI) were actively managing the situation using manual methods. "We have instructed all airlines and airport authorities to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance," Naidu said.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol stated that the ministry and aviation safety regulator DGCA were closely monitoring the situation. Private airlines were instructed to promptly inform passengers about the disruptions.

Airline Responses

IndiGo confirmed that around 200 flights were cancelled due to the outage. "The Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage has taken down most airports in India," said an IndiGo passenger Akshay Kothari in a post on X displaying his manual boarding pass.

Budget carrier Akasa also reported issues due to infrastructure problems with their service provider. "Currently we are following manual check-in and boarding processes at the airports," Akasa said in a post on X.

Aviation Analytics Data

Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that 56 flights were cancelled out of 3,652 scheduled from Indian destinations due to the global IT disruption. This figure does not include inbound flights to India.

Expert Opinions

Sanjiv Kapoor, executive vice-president strategies of Saudia Airlines and former CEO of Jet Airways 2.0, commented on X about the situation at Delhi airport: "Due to a major global system outage, all gate screens at DEL Delhi airport blank."

He added that some flights were holding passengers at the gate itself while others boarded them but held them on board. "Seems to be impacting many airports and airlines," he noted.

The global Microsoft outage caused widespread disruption across Indian airports, affecting thousands of passengers. Airlines and government authorities are working together to manage the situation using manual methods until systems are restored. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for updates on flight information.