Shifting to manual systems for smooth flight movements: Aviation Minister on IT outage

Visakhapatnam: Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday said measures are being taken to ensure smooth flight movements in India after a Microsoft software outage worldwide caused disruptions in flight services.

Speaking to reporters, Naidu said that as of now there is no problem in India and steps are being taken to prevent any inconvenience for passengers.

“I just spoke to our secretary (Civil Aviation). Steps are being taken to avoid troubles and ensure smooth flight movements in India. Shifting from software to manual system has been undertaken. As of now, there is no problem in India with regard to that. Even if there is a problem, immediate reaction will be there and steps will be taken to avoid inconvenience to passengers,” the minister told reporters.

Aviation minister says actively managing situation triggered by outage

Ram Mohan Naidu also said that his ministry and Airports Authority of India (AAI) are actively managing the situation arising out of a global Microsoft outage, which severely impacted airport and airline operations in the country.

The civil aviation ministry in collaboration with AAI has implemented manual backup systems to maintain operational continuity, Naidu said in a statement.

The global Microsoft outage led to flight cancellations and long queues of people outside airports and at check-in counters across the country.

Services like bookings, check-in and boarding process including issuance of boarding passes, are being carried out manually, thereby taking longer than expected time and leading to long queues at airports.

Advising passengers to cooperate with airport staff during this period of disruption, the ministry said it is "committed" to minimising inconvenience and ensuring well-being of all travellers.

"I have directed airport authorities and airlines to be compassionate and provide extra seating, water, and food for passengers affected by delays," he said.

The ministry, Naidu said, understands passengers' concerns and it is working to ensure a safe and swift travel of people.

"We have instructed all airlines and airport authorities to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance," Naidu said, adding that additional measures include regular updates on flight status and deployment of extra staff to assist passengers and address their concerns.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in a separate statement said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the ministry are closely monitoring the situation, and instructions have been issued to private airlines to promptly inform passengers about the disruptions.

"Our teams are working diligently to resolve the issue as quickly as possible to minimize inconvenience to passengers," Mohol added.

Inputs from PTI