After a Crowdstrike update triggered a global outage of Microsoft Windows, causing a ‘Blue Screen of Death’ error for many users, several airlines have also been affected with the ground staff of IndiGo and other airlines having to resort to issuing handwritten boarding passes and manual check-ins.
Taking to X, IndiGo stated, “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.”
The airline is issuing handwritten boarding passes to passengers to keep their operations running smoothly amid the tech chaos.
After getting a handwritten boarding pass, an IndiGo passenger took to X and shared a picture. He wrote, “The Microsoft / CrowdStrike outage has taken down most airports in India. I got my first hand-written boarding pass today.”
Another netizen wrote that we are “back to the stone age”. He wrote, “Almost every airport around the globe is switching to manual mode for their ground operations including check-in following the Microsoft Windows issue. We are back to the stone age.”
A third commented, “A hand-written boarding pass? That’s like a retro throwback to the pre-digital age!”
Airlines in India reported that their systems across the network were impacted by the outage in Microsoft.
Along with IndiGo, Akasa Air and SpiceJet also reported similar disruptions.
“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,” Akasa Air said in a post on X.
“We’re currently facing a technical issue in providing updates on flight disruptions. Our team is actively working to resolve this issue. We regret any inconvenience caused and will update you once the issue is resolved. Thank you for your patience and co-operation,” SpiceJet posted on X.
Several airlines resorted to manual check-in and boarding processes at the airports and requested passengers to reach the airport early.
While Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport reported an average delay of 51 minutes, Delhi’s IGI Airport saw its services being delayed by nearly 40 minutes.