'Flight operations going smoothly, backlog getting cleared gradually': Centre after IT outage
The global Microsoft outage brought a halt on the crucial aspects of human life – flights, banking and media – on Friday (July 19) and some of it persisted on Saturday as flights were delayed on various airports across India. Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, however, issued a statement on Saturday stating that the airline systems across airports have started working "normally" since 3 am.
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FollowThe Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday said that flight operations were smooth and airline systems were back to normal across all airports a day after a global Microsoft outage led to flight cancellations and chaotic scenes at check-in counters. The ministry stated in a statement that all matters pertaining to travel modifications and reimbursement procedures were being handled.
The statement said, "Since 3 AM, Airline systems across airports have started working normally. Flight operations are going smoothly now. There is a backlog because of disruptions yesterday, and it is getting cleared gradually. By noon today, we expect all issues to be resolved."
Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport fared better than its counterparts in Delhi and Bengaluru. Although long queues were reported, operations are running more smoothly today.
The global disruption of Microsoft's Windows systems, which affected financial institutions, aeroplanes, hospitals, and media outlets, was ascribed to an upgrade by the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. Due to this, airline check-in systems crashed in India, resulting in several flight cancellations and delays. About 200 flights were cancelled by IndiGo alone, while hundreds more were delayed due to the severe slowdown in manual check-in procedures.
Airlines such as IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, Air India, SpiceJet, and Air India Express acknowledged the issues via social media. Passengers received handwritten boarding passes, and the manual ticketing and luggage check-in process extended to 30-40 minutes per person, leading to frustration and overcrowded lounges. Besides Delhi and Mumbai, high-density airports like Bengaluru and Chennai saw the most significant impacts.
Also Read | Reason identified; updates released: IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Microsoft outage
Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu assured that the ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are managing the situation using manual methods to minimise disruption. Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the cause of the outage had been identified and that updates had been released to resolve the issue.
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