NEW DELHI, July 19: Hundreds of flights were cancelled or were delayed in the country and globally as several airports faced a major technical glitch effecting disruption caused by a global Microsoft outage on Friday.
The outage impacting check-in systems for airlines such as IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Air India, Vistara, and others, forced the airlines to delay or cancel flights. IndiGo Airlines alone cancelled about 200 flights.
“Flights are cancelled due to the cascading effect of the worldwide travel system outage, beyond our control. The option to rebook/claim a refund is temporarily unavailable. We truly appreciate your patience and support,” IndiGo said in a statement.
Sources at the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said the ministry had advised airlines to provide updates to passengers regarding delays and other disruptions. MoCA and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are also coordinating with airlines and airports to address the situation, the source added.
Minister for Civil Aviation, Rammohan Naidu said airport authorities and airlines have been directed to be compassionate and provide extra seating, water, and food to passengers. “We understand your concerns and are working tirelessly to manage operations. Please cooperate with airport staff. Your patience is greatly appreciated as we ensure your safe and swift travel,” the Union Minister said in a statement.
Additionally, a Microsoft spokesperson said, “We are aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to an update from a third-party software platform. We anticipate a resolution soon.” In a social media post, Delhi Airport also reported that some services were temporarily affected due to the global IT issue.
“We are closely working with all our stakeholders to minimise the inconvenience to our flyers. Passengers are requested to be in touch with the airline concerned or the help desk on the ground for updated flight information,” Delhi Airport stated. The situation at Delhi airport, however, later improved slowly with decreasing wait time.
Confirming the disruption was caused by the Microsoft outage, IndiGo in a post on X, wrote, “Our systems are currently impacted by a Microsoft outage, which is also affecting other companies. During this time booking, check-in, access to your boarding pass, and some flights may be impacted. We appreciate your patience.”
IndiGo later stated in an X post that their digital team is working with Microsoft to resolve this “swiftly”.
“Hi, we’re facing a network-wide issue with Microsoft Azure, causing delays at airports. Check-ins may be slower and queues longer. Our Digital team is working with Microsoft to resolve this swiftly. For assistance, please reach out to our on-ground team. Thanks for your patience,” an airline statement said.
SpiceJet also shared about the issue: “We’re currently facing a technical issue in providing updates on flight disruptions. Our team is actively working to resolve this issue. We regret for any inconvenience caused and will update you once the issue is resolved. Thank you for your patience and co-operation.”
Air India stated, “Our digital systems have been impacted temporarily due to the current Microsoft outage resulting in delays. We regret the inconvenience caused and request our guests to plan their travel accordingly.”
Several other airlines including Air India Express, Akasa Air, Vistara and other airlines informed the passengers about the technical glitch beyond their control and advised passengers to keep with a promise to resolve the problem at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Microsoft users worldwide, including banks and broadcasters, reported widespread outages on Friday. This followed the company’s announcement that it was gradually addressing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services.
The exact cause, nature, and scale of the outage remained unclear. While Microsoft suggested in its X posts that the situation was improving, reports of escalating outages continued to surface around the world.
The website DownDetector, which tracks user-reported internet outages, recorded increasing disruptions in services for Visa, ADT Security, Amazon, and airlines such as American Airlines and Delta, reports said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
