New Delhi: Airports across the country are returning to normalcy following a significant global computer outage that caused widespread disruptions on Friday. The outage, which led to chaotic scenes and numerous flight cancellations and delays, is now being managed, with efforts underway to clear the backlog of affected flights. Here are the latest updates on the situation:
Air India Stays Resilient Amidst Global IT Meltdown
Despite the global disruption, Air India flights on July 19 were not canceled. “While there were some delays due to the outage’s impact on airport services, Air India’s resilient IT infrastructure remained unaffected and continues to function as normal,” an Air India spokesperson told ANI.
Government Efforts to Restore Order
The Ministry of Civil Aviation released a statement detailing the steps taken to manage the situation. “Since 3 AM, airline systems at airports have been operating normally. Flight operations are running smoothly, and the backlog from yesterday’s disruptions is being cleared. We expect all issues to be resolved by noon today,” the statement read. The ministry also assured passengers that they are monitoring airport operations closely and coordinating with airlines to ensure travel adjustments and refunds are handled efficiently. “We thank passengers for their patience,” it added.
Airline Disruptions: Over 250 Flights Affected
Airports in major cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad faced significant issues with issuing boarding passes. IndiGo, one of the most affected airlines, canceled approximately 200 flights on Friday and around 95 flights today. Other airlines, including Akasa Air and SpiceJet, managed to avoid cancellations but experienced rescheduling and delays. Overall, about 250 flights were affected on Friday due to operational challenges. Akasa Air announced that it successfully navigated the system outage caused by a Microsoft Azure technical issue, which disrupted operations across the global aviation industry.
Friday’s Global IT Outage: What Went Wrong?
One of the largest IT outages in recent history was triggered by an update from global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which impacted Microsoft’s Windows systems worldwide. This led to operational disruptions in various sectors, including airlines, financial companies, hospitals, and television channels. In India, airline check-in systems crashed, causing significant delays and cancellations. IndiGo alone had to cancel around 200 flights, with numerous other flights delayed as check-ins and boarding processes moved to manual mode.
Passengers Face Chaos from Delhi to Chennai
Airports across the country, from Chennai to Delhi, were scenes of chaos as frustrated passengers argued with airline staff over the lack of information about delays and cancellations. The outage disabled web check-in services, leading to long queues at check-in counters and overcrowded lounges. Messages from IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, Air India, SpiceJet, and Air India Express on social media platforms indicated widespread issues.
Manual Operations Slow Down Processes
Passengers were issued handwritten boarding passes, and manual ticketing, as well as passenger and luggage check-ins, took significantly longer—around 30-40 minutes per person, according to some travelers. Preliminary data from aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that 56 out of 3,652 flights scheduled from Indian destinations were cancelled.
Impact on High-Density Airports
The outage’s impact was felt most acutely at high-density airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai. “A global outage with the Navitaire Departure Control System (DCS) has affected operations of some airlines at BLR Airport since 10:40 IST on July 19, 2024,” a Bengaluru airport spokesperson stated. IndiGo, Akasa, SpiceJet in T1, and Air India Express in T2 were among the impacted airlines. The Common Use Terminal Equipment and Common Use Self Service systems also experienced disruptions. In response, affected airlines initiated manual check-ins to minimize disruption to passengers and flight schedules.
Government Response and Assurance
Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu addressed the situation, reassuring passengers that the ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are actively managing the disruptions using manual methods. “We have instructed all airlines and airport authorities to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance,” Minister Naidu stated.
As airports and airlines continue to recover from the global IT outage, passengers are advised to stay updated on their flight status and allow extra time for check-in procedures.
