The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Saturday that flight operations across airports have returned to normal following a global Microsoft outage that caused widespread disruptions the previous day. The outage, which affected various airline systems, led to numerous flight cancellations and chaotic scenes at check-in counters.
According to the ministry, airline systems began functioning normally from 3 a.m. on Saturday, and flight operations have since proceeded smoothly. Efforts are ongoing to clear the backlog caused by the previous day’s disruptions, with the ministry anticipating that all issues will be resolved by noon.
Despite the overall recovery, IGI Airport in Delhi experienced significant challenges on Saturday morning. The Digi Yatra system, a biometric-based boarding system, remained non-operational, leading to long queues and manual check-ins at the departure terminals. Additional staff have been deployed to manage the congestion and assist travelers.
The disruption at IGI Airport continued to affect boarding pass issuance between 6 and 7 a.m., although the situation improved later in the day. Most flights were able to adhere to their schedules, with waiting times at Terminal 3 departures averaging between 3 to 5 minutes—a notable improvement from the previous day’s widespread delays.
The global IT outage had a substantial impact on airline operations worldwide, as airports and airlines depend heavily on Windows-based systems for check-ins, baggage handling, and security clearances. The incident underscored the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to software-related issues.
At IGI Airport, the immediate and severe impact of the outage led to a return to manual processing, which slowed operations and placed additional strain on airport staff and resources. The disruption affected hundreds of flights, including those operated by Indigo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, resulting in delays and cancellations as airlines switched to manual systems.
Passengers at the Delhi airport were notably affected, with more than 400 flights experiencing delays. Several travelers shared images of handwritten boarding passes on social media, highlighting the extent of the operational difficulties caused by the outage.
