On Wednesday, a significant glitch in airport check-in systems triggered widespread disruptions across multiple airports in India, with chaotic scenes particularly reported at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, potentially exacerbated by this technical failure. Indigo Airlines cancelled 13 flights to various destinations, including Delhi and Bengaluru, from here, airport sources said.
Nine flights were cancelled on Tuesday alone.
A widely circulated video captured the tense situation at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday morning, showing a large crowd of frustrated travellers surrounding an airline helpdesk. Passengers were seen raising their voices, waving tickets and holding up mobile phones as they demanded clear information about the status of their flights and the reasons for delays.
Airline staff at the counter appeared visibly overwhelmed while trying to calm the agitated crowd. Despite the employees’ repeated attempts to explain the situation, travellers continued to press for immediate answers, resulting in heated and prolonged exchanges. According to news agencies, check-in systems at various airports across the country experienced technical issues on Wednesday due to a major system outage. The outage reportedly caused delays to several flights.
A passenger notice displayed at Varanasi airport read: “Microsoft Windows reports major service outages globally. IT services/check in systems at airports are impacted.” At least four major airlines—IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air, and Air India Express—were affected by the disruption. Neither Microsoft nor the affected airlines issued immediate official comments on the incident.
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) posted an update on X at 7:40 a.m., stating: “Our on-ground teams are diligently working with all stakeholders to ensure a seamless and efficient passenger experience.”
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Related recent incident
A similar technical glitch caused by a “third-party system” had disrupted check-in processes at multiple airports just the previous day (Tuesday), leading to flight delays for several carriers. Air India announced late Tuesday night that the issue had been completely resolved and normal operations had resumed.
The airline posted on X: “The third-party system has been fully restored, and check-in at all airports is functioning normally. All our flights are operating as per schedule. We thank our passengers for their understanding.”
In a comparable disruption last month, more than 400 domestic and international flights were delayed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport due to a technical fault in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS). The glitch severely impacted major carriers including Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet, causing long queues and significantly slower operations.
The problem originated in the IP-based AMSS system. Following its detection, the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) held a review meeting with the Chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Member (ANS), and other senior officials, during which necessary directives were issued to rectify the issues.
As a result of the AMSS failure, air traffic controllers were forced to manually prepare flight plans using whatever data was available—a labour-intensive and time-consuming process that directly contributed to widespread flight delays.
Also Read: SpiceJet flight returns to Delhi after suspected technical snag
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