IndiGo, SpiceJet flights delayed as Microsoft Windows outage affects check-in system at airports — What we know
According to multiple reports, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India flights were reportedly delayed due to Microsoft Windows global service outage that affected check-in systems at various airports on early December 3.
There was no comment from Microsoft regarding the outage, PTI reported. It added that flights of at least four airlines – IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air and Air India Express – were affected.
Reuters quoted an Air India spokesperson as saying that an outage in the third-party system affected check-in systems at several airports late on December 2, but that the issue had been resolved.
Attention passengers: Manual boarding may be initiated at airports
Some flights were delayed due to the outage, a source told PTI, adding that passengers at Varanasi airport received the following message: “Microsoft Windows is reporting major service disruptions globally. IT services/check-in systems at airports have been affected.”
It was stated that passengers were informed that airlines implemented manual check-in and boarding procedures due to the interruption.
IndiGo sees 42 cancellations at Bangalore airport
IndiGo had 42 flights canceled from Bengaluru airport today. A spokesperson told Mint: “We have experienced a number of unavoidable flight delays and some cancellations over the last few days for a variety of reasons, including technology issues, airport congestion and operational requirements. Our teams are working diligently to ensure operations return to normal as quickly as possible.”
The spokesman added that passengers were offered alternative flight options or refunds depending on the situation. The spokesperson said, “We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to our valued customers due to these disruptions. To help us minimize the inconvenience, we request our customers to check the latest flight status at https://www.goindigo.in/check-flightstatus.html before heading to the airport.”
Chaos at airports: Flights delayed, diverted, canceled
ANI reported that operations at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad were disrupted on the morning of December 3, further adding to the chaos among passengers following delays, diversions and cancellations on December 2. Operational issues and low visibility had affected services the previous day.
Meanwhile, in a post on
Is the ‘blue screen of death’ returning?
This isn’t the first time an outage of Microsoft services has affected airports. In July 2024, a severe outage in Microsoft’s cloud service Azure caused by an update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike wreaked havoc across a wide range of industries globally as well as in India.
The outage led companies to switch to manual processes and, in some cases, services to be canceled as devices running Windows operating systems crashed and millions of users watched the so-called ‘blue screen of death’.
The outage lasted for hours and disrupted land transportation systems, flights, banking transactions, stock exchanges, brokerage firms, hospitals, automotive companies and systems using Microsoft services globally.
(With input from institutions)
