Major Computer Outage Causes Chaos at Airports, Minor Bank Disruptions

Airports across India experienced chaos on Friday due to a global computer outage. This disruption led to numerous flight delays and cancellations. The issue also affected banking operations and some brokerage firms. The problem stemmed from an update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which impacted Microsoft's Windows systems worldwide.

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In India, the airline check-in systems crashed, causing significant delays and cancellations. IndiGo alone had to cancel around 200 flights. Many other flights were delayed as manual processes for bookings, check-ins, and boarding were implemented. Passengers faced long queues and overcrowded lounges at various airports.

Impact on Financial Sector

The Indian financial sector saw minor disruptions, with about 10 banks and NBFCs affected. However, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that these issues were either resolved or in the process of being fixed. Despite the widespread IT outage, the financial and payment systems in India remained largely unaffected.

Airlines like IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, Air India, SpiceJet, and Air India Express reported issues on social media platform X. Passengers received hand-written boarding passes, and manual ticketing processes took 30-40 minutes per person. This led to significant delays and frustration among travellers.

Government Response

Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu assured passengers that his ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) were actively managing the situation using manual methods to minimise disruption. Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the cause of the outage had been identified and updates were released to resolve the issue.

According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, 56 out of 3,652 flights scheduled from Indian destinations were cancelled due to the global IT disruption. Airlines began resuming operations slowly, but it may take time to recover fully from the delays and cancellations.

Broader Impact

The outage also affected other sectors. Auto major Maruti Suzuki India briefly halted production and dispatch operations. Tata Motors' passenger EV arm reported issues with its contact centre's telephone lines. IT giant Wipro stated that while its operations were unaffected, it was assisting clients in the US and Europe who faced problems.

A Bengaluru airport spokesperson said that a global outage with the Navitaire Departure Control System (DCS) affected some airlines' operations since 10:40 IST on July 19, 2024. Airlines like IndiGo, Akasa, SpiceJet in T1, and Air India Express in T2 were impacted. Manual check-ins were initiated to ensure minimal disruption.

Passenger Frustration

Passengers at airports from Chennai to Delhi argued with airline staff over lack of information about delays and cancellations. Web check-in services were unavailable, leading to long queues at check-in counters. Some passengers travelling for emergencies expressed their frustration over the lack of timely information.

CERT-In issued an advisory on the Microsoft outage caused by the CrowdStrike update, rating its severity as critical. CrowdStrike President George Kurtz posted on X that they are working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts.

Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport saw 23 flights cancelled, including IndiGo flights to Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru. Sanjiv Kapoor of Saudia Airlines noted that gate screens at Delhi airport were blank due to the outage.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation instructed all airlines and airport authorities to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance. The impact was more significant at high-density airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

A Microsoft spokesperson said earlier in the day that a CrowdStrike update caused several IT systems globally to go down. "We are actively supporting customers to assist in their recovery," they added.

The IT ministry is in constant touch with Microsoft, which is working with affected entities. CERT-In is coordinating with CISOs of critical infrastructure entities to bring systems back online.

The situation gradually improved as airlines resumed some operations. However, making up for delayed or cancelled flights will take time as manual methods continue to be used for bookings and check-ins.