2024-09-18
New Delhi,India: Airline systems across Indian airports have resumed normal operations from 3 am on Saturday, following a significant disruption caused by a Microsoft outage, the Civil Aviation Ministry announced.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that travel adjustments and refund processes are being managed efficiently. “Since 3 am, airline systems at airports have been functioning normally. Flight operations are now smooth. Although there is a backlog due to yesterday’s disruptions, it is being cleared gradually. We expect all issues to be resolved by noon,” the statement read.
The outage of Microsoft 365 and Azure services had a pronounced impact on the aviation sector, leading to widespread flight delays and cancellations. Airlines such as Indigo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air were significantly affected, necessitating a switch to manual processes.
At Delhi Airport, more than 400 flights experienced delays and over 50 were cancelled, according to data from flightradar24.
The global technical downtime was partly attributed to a faulty software update issued by US cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. As many major corporations utilize CrowdStrike's software, the outage had a widespread impact, affecting multiple systems simultaneously. The disruption highlighted the dependency on cloud-based services for maintaining flight schedules and airport operations.
Indigo: India’s largest airline, Indigo, reported that its systems were affected by the Microsoft Azure issue, resulting in increased wait times at contact centers and airports. “You may experience slower check-ins and longer queues. Our digital team is coordinating closely with Microsoft Azure to resolve these issues swiftly,” the airline stated on Friday.
Akasa Air: Akasa Air announced on social media that its online services, including booking and check-in, would be temporarily unavailable due to the outage.
Air India Express: Air India Express informed passengers via X about the temporary impact on online and airport operations across multiple airlines and airports globally. They advised travelers to plan ahead and allow extra time for airport procedures.
SpiceJet: SpiceJet acknowledged the technical issue affecting flight disruption updates and assured that their team was actively working to resolve it. They apologized for any inconvenience and promised updates once the issue was resolved.
Despite the significant disruptions, the aviation sector is expected to return to full normalcy by noon today.
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