Microsoft outage hits IndiGo ops, airline switches to manual ops

NEW DELHI: Leading low-cost carrier IndiGo on Friday said it was currently experiencing delays and cancellations of its flights due to global outages faced by its cloud server software and software provider. "This outage, which began on July 19, has severely disrupted airline operations by impacting critical systems used for flight operations, passenger check-in, and baggage handling. Airlines, airports and other transport systems across the world are facing similar issues," IndiGo said. The airline said that its teams had switched to manual/backup systems.

Operations at major Indian airports including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are now under control amidst the widespread disruptions caused by the software outage. IndiGo has activated ‘war rooms’ at 4 metro airports to manage operations. The airline's staff are prioritising passengers who had departures in the next 120 minutes, ensuring that flights can continue with minimal delays, the airline said.

Other airlines, including Akasa and SpiceJet, also reported disruptions in flight operations. Delhi Airport posted on X that some services at the airport were temporarily impacted due to the global IT outage. "We are closely working with all our stakeholders to minimise the inconvenience to our flyers," it said. Bengaluru Airport said IndiGo, Akasa, Spicejet in T1, and Air India Express in T2 were among those impacted.

IndiGo said additional measures have been put in place to manage the situation effectively. Customers on cancelled flights are being advised to not reach the airports, and are being offered alternative means where possible. The airline is closely monitoring the situation and any further decisions regarding flight operations will be made based on updates from its cloud service provider. A dedicated team has been deployed to address these technical challenges and minimise disruptions, the IndiGo statement added.