Flight Operations Resume Smoothly After Global Microsoft Outage, Says Aviation Ministry

The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Saturday that flight operations have returned to normal across all airports, a day after a global Microsoft outage caused widespread cancellations and chaotic scenes at check-in counters. The ministry assured that all travel adjustments and refund processes are being addressed.

“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,” stated the Aviation Ministry.

However, significant disruptions were still evident at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi on Saturday morning, as the Digi Yatra system, a biometric-based boarding system, remained non-operational. Long queues formed at the departure terminals as passengers struggled with manual check-ins. Airport authorities deployed additional staff to assist travelers and manage the congestion.

Between 6-7 AM, the system continued to experience glitches while issuing boarding passes, although the situation improved later in the day. Despite the initial chaos, most flights managed to stay on schedule, with the waiting period at Terminal 3 departures averaging around 3 to 5 minutes, a marked improvement from Friday’s widespread delays.

The global IT outage had significant repercussions, disrupting airline operations worldwide. Airports and airlines rely heavily on Windows-based systems for various functions, including check-ins, baggage handling, and security clearances. The outage underscored the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to software issues.

At IGI Airport, the impact was immediate and severe. The disruption of the Digi Yatra system necessitated a return to manual processes, slowing down operations and straining airport staff and resources.

The outage of Microsoft 365 and Azure services led to delays and cancellations for hundreds of flights, including those operated by IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, as airline operators switched to manual processes. Over 400 flights at Delhi airport faced delays, and several passengers shared images of handwritten boarding passes on social media.