Paris/Delhi: A major global IT outage on Friday disrupted various sectors, including aviation and healthcare. In India, airports were hit hardest, leading to many flight cancellations and delays. As of Saturday, operations are slowly returning to normal, but there are still delays and backlogs affecting passengers.
What Happened
On Friday, a faulty software update from the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused a massive IT outage affecting Microsoft Windows systems worldwide. This problem impacted businesses, banks, airlines, and hospitals. CrowdStrike’s CEO, George Kurtz, confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that the issue was not a cyberattack but a defect in a software update. He assured that a fix has been applied and that recovery might take some time.
Services That Have Resumed
Airlines:
- IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, Air India, and SpiceJet were severely affected, with IndiGo canceling about 200 flights and others facing delays.
- By Saturday, the Civil Aviation Ministry stated that airline systems are mostly back to normal, though there is still a backlog. Passengers are advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
- IndiGo and other airlines are working to resolve issues, and services are improving, but some delays may continue over the weekend.
Airports:
- Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru airports saw long lines and delays due to the outage. Manual ticketing and check-ins caused frustration for passengers, with wait times of up to 30-40 minutes.
- SpiceJet announced that it resolved its technical problems and resumed normal operations.
- Akasa Air confirmed that its booking, check-in, and boarding systems are now functioning.
Banks and Financial Services:
- About 10 banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) faced minor disruptions. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), these issues have largely been resolved.
Ongoing Issues
Flight Backlog:
- Despite improvements, there are still delays and backlogs at airports. IndiGo counters at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) continued to see long lines, and the Digi Yatra system for international travelers is still down, requiring manual boarding passes.
- Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has large crowds, and two flights were canceled. Many international flights were rescheduled.
- Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport is seeing long queues due to the previous day’s delays, though normal operations are resuming.
Services That Remained Unaffected
- The Income Tax Department portal did not experience major disruptions. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) reported no significant issues.
- Several Indian asset management companies like SBI MF, ICICI Prudential MF, Aditya Birla Sun Life MF, Axis MF, and Zerodha MF were not affected by the outage.
- Indian stock exchanges also remained unaffected, unlike the London Stock Exchange, which faced issues from the same outage but has since resolved them.
- Global IT Outage: Caused by a faulty software update, affecting businesses, airlines, and healthcare.
- In India: Airports experienced major disruptions, but services are gradually improving.
- Ongoing Issues: Backlog at airports and delays in flight operations.
- Unaffected Services: Income tax portal, asset management companies, and Indian stock exchanges.