Operations across many airports went haywire on Wednesday morning due to a technical malfunction in the airport check-in systems. A video showed a throng of passengers surrounding the airline helpdesk at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, demanding information regarding their flights. Many travellers held up tickets and mobile phones, demanding answers from airline employees, while the employees looked harried trying to handle the situation, the clip showed.
On X (formerly Twitter), ANI shared the video, writing, "Chaos erupts at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport after delay in flights due to operational issues."
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Widespread system outages
The check-in systems at various airports were affected, leading to delays in several flights. At Varanasi airport, a message informed passengers: “Microsoft Windows reports major service outages globally. IT services/check-in systems at airports are impacted.” Among the airlines reportedly affected are IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air, and Air India Express.
Delhi International Airport Limited has assured the travellers that on-ground teams were coordinating closely with all stakeholders for smooth passenger operations.
Previous glitch echoes
This is not the first time such a disruption has occurred at Indian airports. Last month, a technical issue in a third-party system delayed flights at multiple airports, including Delhi. Air India confirmed that the problem had been fully resolved, saying, “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.”
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A similar incident in the past saw more than 400 domestic and international flights being delayed due to a malfunction in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi. At that time, air traffic controllers had to manually prepare flight plans, considerably slowing operations. Following the incident, the Ministry of Civil Aviation conducted a review with AAI and other officials to prevent such disruptions.
