New Delhi, July 20: The Central government announced on Saturday that airline systems at airports across the country are returning to normal. This follows a global computer outage that caused widespread disruptions on Friday, leading to chaotic scenes at airports with numerous flight delays and cancellations. Efforts are now underway to clear the backlog.
Air India Operations
An Air India spokesperson confirmed that none of their flights were cancelled on July 19 due to the global outage, although some delays were experienced. The spokesperson stated, “Air India’s own, resilient IT infrastructure remained unaffected yesterday and continues to function as normal.”
Ministry of Civil Aviation Statement
The Ministry of Civil Aviation reported, “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.” The ministry also assured that they are monitoring airport operations closely and ensuring travel readjustments and refunds are managed efficiently.
Impacted Airports and Airlines
Several major airports in India, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, faced issues with issuing boarding passes, leading to IndiGo flights being cancelled and rescheduled. While Akasa and SpiceJet managed to avoid cancellations, IndiGo experienced significant disruptions, cancelling approximately 200 flights on Friday and around 95 flights on Saturday. Overall, about 250 flights were affected.
Global IT Outage Details
The disruption was caused by an update from global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which triggered problems with Microsoft’s Windows worldwide. This led to significant operational challenges in various sectors, including financial institutions, hospitals, and television channels, with airlines being heavily impacted.
Manual Operations and Passenger Impact
In India, the IT outage crashed airline check-in systems, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. Airlines like IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, Air India, SpiceJet, and Air India Express resorted to manual check-in processes, causing long queues and overcrowded lounges at airports. Passengers faced delays in receiving information about their flights, leading to frustration and complaints.
Data and Statistics
Preliminary data from aviation analytics firm Cirium indicated that 56 out of 3,652 flights scheduled from Indian destinations were cancelled. The manual mode of operations extended the check-in and boarding process significantly, with hand-written boarding passes and luggage checks taking up to 40 minutes per person.
Response from Airlines and Airports
Airports like Bengaluru and Delhi reported disruptions in the Navitaire Departure Control System (DCS), affecting airlines such as IndiGo, Akasa, SpiceJet, and Air India Express. These airlines took proactive measures, initiating manual check-ins to minimize disruption.
Passenger Experiences
Passengers, including those travelling for emergencies, faced long waits and lack of communication about flight statuses. The situation was particularly challenging at high-density airports, leading to increased passenger frustration.
The aviation sector is working diligently to return to normalcy and address the backlog caused by the unprecedented global IT outage. The government and airlines are committed to ensuring smooth operations and passenger safety moving forward.
+ There are no comments
Add yours