Civil aviation minister's directives to airlines, airports as flights disrupted

Naidu assured the passengers that his ministry and airport authorities are actively managing the situation using manual methods to ensure minimal disruption.

Civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu on Friday directed airport authorities and airlines to be compassionate towards flyers affected by flight delays due to a widespread computer outage and provide them extra seating, water, and food. Naidu assured passengers that the ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are actively managing the situation using manual methods to ensure minimal disruption.

Passengers look at screens, some of them showing Blue Screen errors, at T3 Terminal of the Indira Gandhi International Airport amid Microsoft outage, in New Delhi, Friday, July 19, 2024.(PTI)

He also advised the passengers to cooperate with airport staff during the period of disruption.

“I have directed airport authorities and airlines to be compassionate and provide extra seating, water, and food for passengers affected by delays. We understand your concerns and are working tirelessly to ensure your safe and swift travel. Your patience and cooperation are greatly appreciated,” the minister said in a statement.

Read: Crowdstrike says global Microsoft outage caused by 'defect' in 'content update'

Stressing the importance of maintaining communication with passengers, Naidu said, “We have instructed all airlines and airport authorities to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance.”

The ministry has directed the airlines and airport authorities to regular updates on flight status and deploy extra staff to assist passengers and address their concerns.

Indian airlines experienced technical and operational disruptions after a widespread global computer outage created chaos at airports. Passenger check-ins were delayed with airlines resorting to issuing manual boarding passes.

IndiGo said the option to rebook a flight or claim a refund was temporarily unavailable. The low-cost airline said the flights were cancelled due to a “cascading effect of the worldwide travel system outage”, which IndiGo said was beyond its control.

“Flights are cancelled due to the cascading effect of the worldwide travel system outage, beyond our control. The option to rebook/claim a refund is temporarily unavailable,” IndiGo posted on X.

The airline also shared a list which showed 192 flights operated by IndiGo has been cancelled so far.