Saturday, July 20, 2024
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Passengers at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Airport) endured a travel nightmare on Friday, as a global technology glitch caused widespread chaos and disruption.
The outage, attributed to a faulty update on Microsoft Windows, crippled critical airport systems, leading to the cancellation of nearly 100 flights and delays impacting over 300 more.
National Ripple Effect
The impact of the outage extended far beyond IGI Airport. Airlines reported a domino effect across the country, with delays and cancellations cascading through various airports.
This resulted in not only extended wait times at check-in counters but also forced airlines to ground numerous flights throughout the day.
Major Airlines Impacted
IndiGo: As India’s largest airline, IndiGo bore the brunt of the disruption. Their website displayed cancellations for at least 45 departing flights and 47 arriving flights at IGI Airport alone.
Passengers on social media platforms documented long delays, confusion, and a lack of clear communication from IndiGo regarding the situation.
Akasa Air: The relatively new airline, Akasa Air, also acknowledged the challenges posed by the outage.
While specific details on cancellations or delays are unavailable on their website, social media posts from travelers indicated disruptions to Akasa Air flights at various airports, including Delhi.
SpiceJet: SpiceJet’s official website offers limited information on the specific impact of the outage.
However, news reports suggest that SpiceJet flights were not spared from the delays, with passengers experiencing frustration due to the manual check-in process.
Air India: Air India’s website makes no specific mention of the outage or its impact on flights.
Nevertheless, news reports confirm that Air India passengers also faced delays and disruptions at IGI Airport due to the tech meltdown.
Exacerbated by Terminal Closure
The already chaotic situation at IGI Airport was further compounded by the ongoing closure of Terminal 1.
The roof collapse on June 28th forced the closure of this terminal, placing additional strain on the remaining active terminals, T2 and T3.
This resulted in longer queues and a higher passenger load for these terminals, further amplifying the delays caused by the tech outage.
Passengers Left Frustrated
With manual check-ins significantly slowing down the processing of passengers, long queues snaked through both T2 and T3 terminals at IGI Airport.
Passengers faced long wait times, adding to their travel woes. Social media platforms were flooded with complaints regarding the lack of communication, delays, and overall travel disruption caused by the outage.