The recent global IT outage that occurred on Friday had a massive impact on airline systems across airports, leading to chaos and disruption in the travel industry. Passengers faced inconvenience as online passenger booking, reservation, and boarding systems were forced to switch to manual mode due to the outage. This resulted in higher passenger handling processing time, causing delays and cancellations of hundreds of flights.
Resolution of Issues by Civil Aviation Minister
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu assured the public that the airline systems across airports have started working normally since 3 AM on Saturday. He mentioned that the ministry is constantly monitoring the operations at airports and airlines to ensure that travel readjustments and refunds are taken care of. The minister also stated that by noon on Saturday, all issues caused by the IT outage are expected to be resolved.
Major airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa, and Air India Express were affected by the global IT outage. IndiGo, the largest airline by domestic market share, had to cancel around 200 flights due to the Microsoft outage issue. Passengers at various airports reported disruptions in online printing (DigiYatra) and convenience due to the network issue that occurred on Friday.
Despite the challenges faced by airlines and passengers, there has been significant progress in restoring normal operations. Most airlines have reported that their reservation and check-in systems are now operational. SpiceJet and Akasa Air confirmed that all their systems at airports, including ticket bookings, were up and running smoothly after the successful resolution of the Microsoft outage.
Continued Challenges for Airlines
While the global outage is nearly resolved, airlines like IndiGo have warned customers that they may still experience delays and schedule disruptions over the weekend. The disruption caused by the IT outage posed an unprecedented operational challenge for ground services teams, leading to flight cancellations and disruptions in operations.
The recent global IT outage serves as a reminder of the vulnerabilities of the aviation industry to technological disruptions. It highlights the importance of having robust contingency plans in place to mitigate the impact of such events in the future. Airlines and airports need to invest in resilient IT infrastructure and preparedness to ensure smooth operations during unforeseen circumstances.
The global IT outage that impacted airline systems across airports caused chaos and disruption in the travel industry. While the issues are being resolved gradually, it is essential for airlines and airports to learn from this incident and strengthen their IT systems to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
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