New Delhi: A global outage of Microsoft services has disrupted airline operations worldwide, including those of major Indian carriers such as Indigo and SpiceJet. The disruption has caused significant delays, with critical services like booking, check-in, and access to boarding passes being severely impacted.
The technical issues began on Friday, when Microsoft Windows users around the globe reported encountering the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors. Users took to social media to share their frustrations, describing how their computers were stuck in restart loops due to the errors.
Impact on Airlines
Indigo Airlines issued an official statement on X, acknowledging the impact of the Microsoft outage on their systems: “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.”
SpiceJet echoed similar concerns, posting: “We’re currently facing a technical issue in providing updates on flight disruptions. Our team is actively working to resolve this issue. We regret any inconvenience caused and will update you once the issue is resolved. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.”
Other airlines, including Vistara and Akasa Air, also reported challenges. Vistara stated, “We are experiencing technical challenges across various aspects of our operations due to a global outage at our service provider’s end. We are working with them to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Akasa Air, implementing manual check-in and boarding processes, urged passengers to arrive early: “Due to infrastructure issues with our service provider, some of our online services, including booking, check-in, and manage booking services will be temporarily unavailable. We request passengers with immediate travel plans to reach the airport early to check-in at our counters.”
Air India confirmed that their digital systems were temporarily down, leading to delays. “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,” read their statement.
Impact on Airports
Delhi Airport reported that some services were temporarily impacted 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. We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers.”
As the situation develops, affected airlines and airports are working diligently to resolve the issues and restore normal operations. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest updates and travel information.
