In a significant disruption to air travel, a global IT outage on Friday caused by an update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike led to widespread issues with Microsoft Windows, impacting various sectors including aviation. As a result, airline systems across airports were severely affected, causing delays and cancellations. However, by early Saturday, operations began to return to normal, as confirmed by Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu.

A Global IT Crisis

The outage was one of the most extensive ever experienced, affecting financial institutions, airlines, hospitals, and even television channels worldwide. For airlines, the switch to manual processing of passenger bookings, reservations, and boarding led to chaos at airports, longer handling times, and a cascade of delays and cancellations.

Swift Recovery and Monitoring

Despite the widespread disruption, Minister Naidu assured that the airline systems started functioning normally from 3 AM on Saturday. “Flight operations are going smoothly now,” he stated, emphasizing that the ministry is actively monitoring airport operations to ensure smooth travel readjustments and facilitate refunds.

Clearing the Backlog

The aftermath of Friday’s disruptions left a significant backlog that is being gradually cleared. The minister expressed optimism that all issues would be resolved by noon on Saturday. Most airlines, including IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa, and Air India Express, reported that their reservation and check-in systems were operational.

On the Ground Experience

Passengers began to notice improvements. At Delhi Airport, one traveler heading to Ahmedabad remarked on the return of convenient online check-ins via DigiYatra. “Everything’s fine today. Flights are on time,” he noted, attributing the previous day’s issues to an unavoidable network problem.

Airline Responses

IndiGo, the largest domestic airline, had to cancel around 200 flights due to the outage but announced significant progress in restoring normal operations. “The global outage that led to operational difficulties is nearly resolved,” a spokesperson said, though they cautioned that some delays and disruptions might persist over the weekend.

Similarly, SpiceJet and Akasa Air confirmed that their systems, including ticket bookings and call centers, were back up and running smoothly by late Friday. Akasa Air highlighted the resilience of their ground services team, stating that despite the challenges, all scheduled flights operated with minimal disruptions and no cancellations.

Looking Ahead

The swift response and recovery efforts by airlines and the continuous monitoring by the Civil Aviation Ministry highlight the resilience of the aviation industry in the face of unprecedented challenges. While the global IT outage posed significant operational hurdles, the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders ensured a return to normalcy, reinforcing confidence in air travel safety and reliability.

As the backlog clears and operations stabilize, passengers can look forward to smoother travels and the assurance that the industry is well-prepared to handle such disruptions in the future.