A widespread Microsoft outage is wreaking havoc across multiple industries, from aviation to retail and beyond. In India, major airlines such as Vistara, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air are grappling with technical glitches affecting flight bookings, check-ins, and updates. Passengers are being checked in manually as these carriers work to resolve the issue.
#ImportantUpdate: We are currently experiencing technical challenges with our service provider, affecting online services including booking, check-in, and manage booking functionalities. As a result, we have activated manual check-in and boarding processes across airports. We…
— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) July 19, 2024
SpiceJet acknowledged the problem, stating, “We’re experiencing a technical issue with flight updates. Our team is actively working to fix this. We apologize for any inconvenience and will update once resolved. Thank you for your patience.” Akasa Air similarly notified customers that online services like booking and check-in are temporarily unavailable due to infrastructure issues, necessitating manual check-ins at airports.
#TravelUpdate: Due to infrastructure issues with our service provider, some of our online services, including booking, check-in and manage booking services will be temporarily unavailable. Currently we are following manual check-in and boarding processes at the airports and hence…
— Akasa Air (@AkasaAir) July 19, 2024
IndiGo reported, “Our systems are impacted by a Microsoft outage, affecting operations across various companies. Booking, check-in, boarding passes, and some flights may be affected. We appreciate your patience.” Vistara also cited technical challenges due to the global outage of their service provider, reassuring customers that efforts are underway to restore normal operations soon.
Our systems are currently impacted by a Microsoft outage, which is also affecting other companies. During this time booking, check-in, access to your boarding pass, and some flights may be impacted. We appreciate your patience.
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) July 19, 2024
The impact isn’t limited to airlines alone. Delhi Airport confirmed temporary disruptions due to the IT issue, urging passengers to stay updated through airlines or ground help desks. Bengaluru Airport also reported system downtime, with specific flight delays yet to be quantified.
Due to the global IT issue, some of the services at the Delhi Airport were temporarily impacted.
We are closely working with all our stakeholders to minimise the inconvenience to our flyers.
— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) July 19, 2024
Australia faced severe disruptions, with ABC News 24 and Woolworths supermarkets among those affected. Police systems and Melbourne Airport’s check-in processes were also hit. Virgin Australia halted all Sydney Airport flights, causing significant operational standstills.
Elsewhere, the London Stock Exchange and US Federal Aviation Administration encountered issues, grounding flights and affecting emergency services. Sky News and European airports like Amsterdam’s Schiphol and Berlin Brandenburg also reported check-in delays and cancellations due to technical problems.
Millions of Windows users globally experienced the infamous Blue Screen of Death, leading to system shutdowns and data loss. Microsoft 365 acknowledged the issue and is actively investigating.
The outage underscores the vulnerabilities of global digital infrastructure and highlights the cascading impacts across vital sectors when such disruptions occur.