Aviation minister says actively managing situation triggered by outage

Stranded passengers at the Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru amid Microsoft outage, in Bengaluru, on July 19, 2024. Indigo, Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa at the Bengaluru airport began checking in passengers manually on Friday, issuing handwritten boarding passes, after a global Microsoft outage led to the Navitaire Departure Control System stalling. (PTI Photo)

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday said his ministry and Airports Authority of India (AAI) are actively managing the situation arising out of a global Microsoft outage, which severely impacted airport and airline operations in the country.

The civil aviation ministry in collaboration with AAI has implemented manual backup systems to maintain operational continuity, Naidu said in a statement.

The global Microsoft outage led to flight cancellations and long queues of people outside airports and at check-in counters across the country.

Services like bookings, check-in and boarding process including issuance of boarding passes, are being carried out manually, thereby taking longer than expected time and leading to long queues at airports.

Advising passengers to cooperate with airport staff during this period of disruption, the ministry said it is "committed" to minimising inconvenience and ensuring well-being of all travellers.

"I have directed airport authorities and airlines to be compassionate and provide extra seating, water, and food for passengers affected by delays," he said.

The ministry, Naidu said, understands passengers' concerns and it is working to ensure a safe and swift travel of people.

"We have instructed all airlines and airport authorities to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance," Naidu said, adding that additional measures include regular updates on flight status and deployment of extra staff to assist passengers and address their concerns.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in a separate statement said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the ministry are closely monitoring the situation, and instructions have been issued to private airlines to promptly inform passengers about the disruptions.

"Our teams are working diligently to resolve the issue as quickly as possible to minimize inconvenience to passengers," Mohol added.