New Delhi: IndiGo, one of Indias leading airlines, has announced the cancellation of approximately 200 flights across the country, citing a widespread global system outage as the primary cause for disruptions.Reason for flight cancellationsIn a statement posted on social media, IndiGo attributed the flight cancellations to the cascading effect of the worldwide travel system outage, beyond our control. The airline acknowledged the inconvenience caused to passengers and noted that options for rebooking or refunds were temporarily unavailable. Details of cancelled flights can be accessed through the airlines official website.Flights are cancelled due to the cascading effect of the worldwide travel system outage, beyond our control. The option to rebook/claim a refund is temporarily unavailable. To check the cancelled flights, visit https://t.co/D1sAKR5Hhl. We truly appreciate your patience & support.— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) July 19, 2024Impact on operationsAccording to information released by IndiGo, a total of 192 flights have been affected, primarily originating from major hubs such as Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. The disruption has led to increased wait times, slower check-ins, and longer queues at airports and contact centres nationwide.Microsoft Azure Outage affects multiple airlinesThe ongoing issue with Microsoft Azure, a critical cloud computing platform used by major airlines including IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India, and Vistara, has exacerbated operational challenges. Similar disruptions were reported by several US airlines recently, underscoring the global impact of cloud service interruptions.Vulnerability of aviation infrastructureThe incident highlights the vulnerability of essential aviation infrastructure to cloud service disruptions. As airlines rely increasingly on cloud computing for crucial operations, the potential for widespread travel disruptions due to such outages remains a significant concern for the industry. IndiGo and other affected airlines have urged passengers to remain patient and assured them that efforts are underway to mitigate the impact of the outage.
