Microsoft Global Outage Disrupts Indian Airlines; IndiGo, Akasa Face Email Issues, Flights Hit in Delhi

New Delhi: Airline operations in India faced disruptions on Friday, November 13, amid a Microsoft global outage, with carriers reporting technical issues affecting their systems. The disruption impacted airline operations at Delhi Airport, while IndiGo and Akasa Air reportedly faced email-related problems.

According to reports, three flights were cancelled and two others delayed at Delhi Airport amid the technical disruption. The developments prompted concerns over possible operational difficulties for airlines as they dealt with issues linked to Microsoft's recurring server failures.

The disruption also affected IndiGo and Akasa Air's email support services. IndiGo warned passengers that it might not be able to receive customer emails because of the Microsoft service disruption. The airline said its other customer support channels remained available and advised passengers requiring urgent assistance to contact its AI-powered assistant, 6E Skai, through its website or mobile application.

Akasa Air also reported delays in its email support services, cautioning passengers that some messages might not reach the airline. It advised customers seeking immediate assistance to contact its 24-hour Akasa Care Centre or reach out through its social media channels.

SpiceJet Faces Separate Operational Challenges

Meanwhile, Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport issued a passenger advisory on Friday, warning that some SpiceJet flights could be affected by operational challenges faced by the airline.

In its advisory issued at 10:05 am, Delhi Airport asked passengers travelling with SpiceJet to contact the airline directly for the latest updates regarding their flights and travel plans. The airport did not specify the number of flights that could be affected.

The advisory came a day after SpiceJet cancelled four flights from Dubai Airport after ground-handling agency DNATA suspended check-in services over alleged unpaid dues. According to reports, the suspension was imposed on November 12.

Air India Says Flight Operations Unaffected

Amid the disruptions, Air India assured passengers that its flight operations remained unaffected by the Microsoft outage. The airline said its communication channels, including voice support, AI-based assistance, social media and customer notifications, were functioning normally.

Air India also said it had temporarily rerouted its email traffic to ensure that customer messages continued to reach the airline without interruption. It added that emails were being answered within its usual 24-hour timeframe.

Microsoft Continues Efforts To Restore Services

The outage has affected several Microsoft services, including Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and Copilot, with users and businesses across multiple countries reporting difficulties accessing the platforms.

Microsoft has been working to restore the affected infrastructure. However, the company acknowledged that some servers returned to service were becoming unresponsive again after receiving traffic.

In its latest update, Microsoft said it was continuing efforts to recover affected servers while implementing additional traffic optimisation measures to improve service stability and increase capacity.

The company has not announced a timeline for the complete restoration of services. It also reported partial recovery in some regions, although its recovery measures had not yet resulted in sustained service restoration.