Chaos at Bengaluru airport: 53 domestic flights cancelled, 75 delayed due to Microsoft outage

Chaos prevailed at Bengaluru Airport on July 19. Picture credit: X/@Masterji_UPWale

Chaos prevailed at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on July 19, as thousands of passengers were stranded for hours due to a Microsoft software outage.

A recent issue with CrowdStrike updates has triggered a major disruption in Microsoft Windows services worldwide.

BIAL, which operates the Kempegowda International Airport, said that domestic operations, especially those of IndiGo, were affected due to the Microsoft outage.

Also, read: Microsoft outage: Mumbai, Delhi, other airports face tech issues; IndiGo, Akasa, SpiceJet check-ins affected

"A total of 25 domestic arrivals and 28 departures were cancelled, and 77 flights were delayed. However, international flight operations have not been affected so far," a BIAL source told Moneycontrol.

The 77 delayed flights due to the system outage include 55 IndiGo, seven Akasa Air, 12 AirAsia, two Air India Express, and one SpiceJet.

BIAL officials said that services, including passenger check-in and baggage handling, were affected from 10:40am on July 19

"A global outage with the Navitaire Departure Control System (DCS) has been impacting operations for some airlines across their networks, including Bengaluru airport, since 10:40am on July 19" , a BIAL spokesperson said.

"IndiGo, Akasa, and SpiceJet in T1, and Air India Express in T2, are among the impacted airlines. The Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) and Common Use Self Service (CUSS) systems are also experiencing disruptions. IndiGo, Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa have taken proactive measures by initiating manual check-ins to minimise disruption to passengers and flight schedules", the spokesperson adds.

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Sources said services had not returned to normal even by late Friday night, leaving many flyers stranded at the airport. There were long queues, especially at IndiGo counters, and passengers got into arguments with airport staff over the delays. Check-in was being done manually due to the Microsoft outage.

Many have expressed their frustration on social media.

Current situation at the Bengaluru airport. A few minutes before everything was in red. And before that every other traveller's face was pic.twitter.com/ysHaxSQTlO

— Malav Desai (@_desai_malav) July 19, 2024

@IndiGo6E your check in system is not working from last 2 hours. I missed my flight on Bangalore airport due to that. What should I do now?

— Rahul Singh (@rahulssingh) July 19, 2024

@IndiGo6E @AAI_Official @BLRAirport No one is helping out there total chaos . No body knows where to wait and when our flight boarding will start . So pathetic. pic.twitter.com/qJ7pm66phS

— Neel Gangwal (@NeelGangwal) July 19, 2024

Meanwhile, IndiGo in a statement said they are working to minimise the impact of global cloud software outage on flight operations.

"IndiGo is currently experiencing delays and cancellations due to a global outage affecting its cloud server software and provider. This outage, which began on July 19, 2024, 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 worldwide are facing similar issues" a statement from IndiGo said.

"Following rapid measures by IndiGo teams to switch to manual and 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 four metro airports to manage operations. The airline's staff are prioritising passengers with departures within the next 120 minutes to ensure flights can continue with minimal delays", it said.

Also, read: Microsoft mega outage: IndiGo says operations at major airports under control

"Additional measures have been implemented to manage the situation effectively. Customers with cancelled flights are advised not to go to the airports and are being offered alternate arrangements where possible. The airline is closely monitoring the situation, and 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", it added.

Also, read: Aviation minister says actively managing situation triggered by outage