Microsoft outage disrupts airline services in Hyderabad airport

Following a Microsoft Azure outage that has disrupted airline operations nationwide, Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport advisory alerts passengers to potential delays

Hyderabad: Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has issued an advisory on Friday, following a Microsoft Azure outage that has disrupted airline operations nationwide. The RGIA advisory alerts passengers to potential delays and urges them to contact their airlines for flight information.

“We are closely working with all our stakeholders to minimize the inconvenience to our flyers,” the RGIA said.

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Advisory: Due to the global IT outage, services of airlines have been impacted.

We are closely working with all our stakeholders to minimise the inconvenience to our flyers.

You may please get in touch with the airline concerned for updates on your flight information.

We…

— RGIA Hyderabad (@RGIAHyd) July 19, 2024

The outage has significantly affected major carriers, including IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India, SpiceJet and others causing significant inconvenience to the passengers. Frustrated passengers took to their social media handles to express their disappointment.

“We’ve been waiting for 45 mins just to check in our bags!!! Honestly in such a big airport, why do you have only 3 active counters. This is one of the worst experience (sic),” read a comment on ‘X’.

Taking to its ‘X’ handle, IndiGo reported increased wait times at contact centers and airports due to the disruption. “Our systems across the network are impacted, resulting in slower check-ins and longer queues,” stated IndiGo. The airline stated that it is looking to restoring normalcy swiftly, working closely with Microsoft Azure.

This system outage has a global impact and we truly regret the inconvenience caused. We assure you that our teams are working relentlessly to ensure safe travels.

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) July 19, 2024

Akasa Air similarly reported disruptions, particularly in online services like booking and check-in. The airline has resorted to manual processes at airports and advised passengers to arrive early. “We sincerely regret the inconvenience and assure you that our teams are working with our service provider to resolve this at the earliest,” Akasa Air communicated via social media.

#TravelUpdate: Due to infrastructure issues with our service provider, some of our online services, including booking, check-in and manage booking services will be temporarily unavailable. Currently we are following manual check-in and boarding processes at the airports and hence…

— Akasa Air (@AkasaAir) July 19, 2024

Air India and SpiceJet also issued advisories about the technical issues. Air India acknowledged temporary impacts on digital systems, while SpiceJet mentioned difficulties in providing flight disruption updates, apologizing for the inconvenience and pledging swift resolution.

Customer Advisory

Our digital systems have been impacted temporarily due to the current Microsoft outage resulting in delays. We regret the inconvenience caused and request our guests to plan their travel accordingly.#AirIndia

— Air India (@airindia) July 19, 2024

Statement:

A global technical outage has affected the aviation industry. SpiceJet is ensuring that all its flights scheduled for today will depart. We are working closely with airports and relevant authorities to minimize disruptions and ensure the safety and comfort of our…

— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) July 19, 2024

Meanwhile, Microsoft acknowledged the issue and stated they are investigating the disruption affecting access to various Microsoft 365 apps and services. Hyderabad Airport assured passengers that it is working closely with stakeholders to minimize inconvenience.