Technical Glitch Causes Multi-Airline Flight Delays Before System Restoration

Air India confirmed late Tuesday evening that their check-in systems across all airports have returned to normal operation and flights are now running according to schedule after a temporary outage that caused delays at multiple airports.

According to a source who spoke to NDTV, the technical issue persisted for approximately 45 minutes before being resolved.

"The third-party system has been fully restored, and check-in at all airports is functioning normally. All our flights are operating as per schedule. We thank our passengers for their understanding," Air India stated in an updated post on their X (formerly Twitter) account.

Earlier, the national carrier had reported that a disruption in check-in systems at various airports was causing delays across multiple airlines.

"A third-party system disruption has been affecting check-in systems at various airports, resulting in delays across multiple airlines, including Air India," the airline had initially posted.

"While the system is progressively getting restored, some of our flights may continue to experience delays until the situation fully normalises," Air India added in their communication.

The airline advised passengers to verify their flight status before departing for the airport.

Budget airline IndiGo also experienced delays, though sources indicated these were attributed to operational issues rather than the system outage.

Sources informed NDTV that the slowdown was caused by issues with the Amadeus software platform.

Amadeus is a widely used software system that airlines utilize to manage bookings, reservations, inventory, and departure control systems. The platform is recognized for its Global Distribution System (GDS) and IT Solutions that help aviation businesses optimize operations and enhance customer experience.

In separate news, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu confirmed on Monday that several flights approaching Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi had recently reported incidents of GPS spoofing, though these incidents did not disrupt flight operations.

In a written statement to the Rajya Sabha, the Minister clarified that no flights were disrupted as other runways equipped with traditional navigation systems continued to function normally.

Reports indicate that approximately 800 flights experienced delays at Delhi airport on November 6.

Global Positioning System (GPS) or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) spoofing refers to deliberate attempts to manipulate navigation systems by transmitting false signals.