 "A third-party system disruption affected check-in operations at multiple airports and caused delays across several airlines. File image/PTI")
Travellers at several Indian airports, including Delhi, ran into unexpected chaos on Tuesday evening after multiple airlines were hit by sudden check-in failures
After nearly 45 minutes of disruption, airlines began restoring services. Air India confirmed that check-in systems at all airports were “functioning normally” again and that its flights were operating as per schedule following the outage.
But what exactly triggered the issue? Here’s what we know so far.
Check-in glitch hits Indian airports
As reports of a third-party system glitch started doing the rounds on Tuesday evening, the impact became visible almost immediately. FlightRadar24 showed Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport hitting a Departure Delay Index level of 4, a clear indicator of widespread delays and cancellations.
Air India said its staff were “working diligently to ensure a smooth check-in experience for all passengers” despite the disruption.
The airline noted that while systems were slowly coming back online, “some of our flights may continue to experience delays until the situation fully normalises. We request passengers to check their flight status.”
IndiGo, too, reported delays, though the airline suggested the cause was different in its case.
The carrier did not release a public statement on X. However, in replies posted directly to users complaining about delays, IndiGo consistently blamed “operational issues”.
What caused the check-in glitch?
Sources told NDTV that the delays were linked to a slowdown in the Amadeus software, a major system used by several airlines.
Amadeus handles key functions for carriers, from bookings and reservations to managing inventory and departure control. It’s part of a widely used Global Distribution System (GDS) that helps airlines coordinate operations and improve passenger handling.
After initially flagging the problem, Air India later confirmed on Tuesday night that the technical issue had been fixed and that its systems were back to normal.
“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 said in an updated post on X.
Tech snags hit Delhi airport
The latest outage adds to a growing list of technical troubles at Delhi airport. Just a few weeks ago, Indira Gandhi International Airport was thrown into chaos after a major glitch in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system disrupted operations. The snag delayed more than 800 flights and left hundreds of passengers stranded across terminals.
According to multiple reports citing sources, the problem stemmed from a failure in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), the communication network that sends critical data to the Auto Track System (ATS). The ATS uses this information to generate flight plans for controllers, so even a brief malfunction can throw the entire system off balance.
More recently, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu confirmed that several flights approaching IGIA had reported instances of GPS spoofing, though he stressed that no flight operations were impacted.
GPS or GNSS spoofing happens when false navigation signals are fed into an aircraft’s system, potentially misleading its route.
In his written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the minister clarified that operations remained unaffected because other runways equipped with traditional, non-GPS-based navigation systems continued running smoothly. He later outlined the measures needed to tackle the issue.
With input from agencies