The Aviation Ministry has confirmed that airline systems across Indian airports have returned to normal operations following a significant Microsoft outage that disrupted flights nationwide. The systems resumed functioning smoothly from 3 AM on Saturday, according to the civil aviation ministry.
Resumption of Services
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu announced on X that all airline systems have been restored and flight operations are proceeding as usual. However, there is a backlog due to the disruptions from the previous day, which is being addressed. The ministry expects all issues to be resolved by noon today.
Impact of the Outage
The outage, affecting Microsoft 365 and Azure services, severely impacted the aviation sector. Airlines including Indigo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air experienced delays and cancellations as their systems went offline, forcing them to switch to manual processes.
At Delhi Airport alone, over 400 flights were delayed and more than 50 were canceled, as reported by Flightradar24.
Cause of the Disruption
The global technical issues were partly due to a faulty software update from CrowdStrike, a major cybersecurity firm. This led to widespread outages affecting systems used by many corporations, including those in the aviation sector. Cloud-based services are crucial for maintaining flight schedules and airport operations, so their disruption had a significant impact.
Airline Reactions
Indigo: The largest Indian airline reported that its systems were affected across the network, resulting in increased wait times at contact centers and airports. The airline is working with Microsoft Azure to resolve the issues promptly.
Akasa Air: The airline announced on social media that its online services for booking, check-in, and managing bookings would be temporarily unavailable.
Air India Express: The airline acknowledged the global impact on digital infrastructure and advised travelers to plan accordingly, allowing extra time for airport procedures.
SpiceJet: SpiceJet mentioned ongoing technical issues affecting flight disruption updates and assured passengers that the team is working to resolve them.
Conclusion
While the situation is stabilizing, travelers are advised to stay updated with their respective airlines for the latest information on flight statuses and to anticipate possible delays as the backlog is cleared. The aviation ministry and airlines are working to ensure that normal operations are fully restored as quickly as possible.
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