IndiGo, SpiceJet flights delayed as tech outage affects check-in system at airports — What we know

Flights operated by IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India were reportedly delayed due to a technical outage that affected check-in systems at various airports early on 3 December, according to multiple reports.

Flights of at least four airlines — IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air and Air India Express — have been affected, it added.

Reuters cited an Air India spokesperson saying that a third-party system disruption has been affecting check-in systems at various airports late on 2 December, but the issue has been resolved.

Attention passengers: Manual boarding process may be initiated at airports

A source told PTI that some flights have been delayed due to the outage, adding that passengers at Varanasi airport received the following message: “Microsoft Windows reports major service outages globally. IT services/ check in systems at airports are impacted.”

It added that passengers were informed that airlines have implemented manual check-in and boarding procedures due to the outage.

However, Microsoft has denied an outage from its end. “This is factually incorrect. No outages reported on Windows,” Microsoft said in response to a PTI query.

IndiGo sees 42 cancellations at Bangalore airport

IndiGo has 42 flight cancellations from Bengaluru airport today. A spokesperson told Hindustan Times, “We have had several unavoidable flight delays and some cancellations in the past few days due to various reasons including technology issues, airport congestion, and operational requirements. Our teams are working diligently to ensure that operations normalise as soon as possible.”

The spokesperson added that passengers are being offered alternate flight options or refunds, as applicable. “We regret the inconvenience caused to our valued customers due to these disruptions. We request customers to check the latest flight status at https://www.goindigo.in/check-flightstatus.html before heading to the airport, to help us minimise inconvenience,” the spokesperson added.

Airports chaos: Flights delayed, diverted, cancelled

ANI reported that operations at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad were disrupted in the morning on 3 December, furthering chaos among passengers following delays, diversions and cancellations on 2 December as well. The previous day, operational issues and low visibility had affected services.

Meanwhile, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Delhi International Airport said that domestic airlines are “experiencing operational challenges, which may lead to delays or schedule challenges”.

Notably, in July 2024, a severe outage at Microsoft's cloud service Azure, caused by an update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, created havoc across a wide spectrum of industries globally, as well as in India.

The outage led to companies shifting to manual processes and also cancelling services in some cases as devices using the Windows operating system crashed, and millions of users were left watching the so-called ‘blue screen of death’.

The outage lasted hours and disrupted ground transport systems, flights, banking operations, stock exchanges, brokerages, hospitals, auto companies and systems that were using Microsoft services, globally.

(With inputs from Agencies)