'No Impact On Flights': Microsoft Glitch Disrupts Airline Communications, IndiGo, Air India Issue Advisories

A global Microsoft service outage has disrupted businesses globally. The aviation industry too has faced the impact of the glitch, with reports of SpiceJet cancelling three flights from Delhi and delaying two others on Friday morning and major Indian carriers reported disruptions to their email support systems.

IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air said their flight operations remained unaffected, while Delhi Airport advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.

The disruption, which affected Microsoft 365 services including Outlook and Teams for more than five hours on Thursday, has prompted airlines to activate alternative customer support channels and issue advisories. According to a report by NDTV, SpiceJet allegedly cancelled flights from Delhi to Pune, Leh and Mumbai, while flights to Darbhanga and Mumbai were delayed.

IndiGo said its email support services had been affected by the global disruption, but its flight operations and other business functions continued as usual. The airline said its AI-powered assistance system, 6E Skai, remained available round the clock to address passenger queries.

An external communications official from IndiGo told Outlook, "There is no impact on flights because of the Microsoft outage. There is only disruption in the email services that we are experincing."

On how the airline was communicating with passengers, the official said, "We are able to communicate with our customers through AI interaction systems and otherwise, rest of our systems are working noramlly other than Microsoft email service. "

The official added that flight information, including boarding passes and other details, was being shared through WhatsApp and Gmail, which remained operational. The disruption was limited to the airline's ability to officially receive customer complaints and general grievances through email.

Air India said it was monitoring the outage and had temporarily rerouted its emails to ensure uninterrupted communication with passengers. The airline said its flight operations and customer communication channels remained unaffected, with emails being answered within its usual 24-hour timeline.

Akasa Air, meanwhile, said its email support services were experiencing delays and advised passengers to contact its 24/7 care centre at +91 9606 112131 or reach out through social media for urgent assistance.

An Akasa Air spokesperson told Outlook, "There is no impact on Akasa’s operations. The issue is limited to a delay in our email support services. Essentially, if customers are sending emails with queries or concerns, we are currently experiencing delays in receiving them. There is no other impact on Akasa operations."

The spokesperson added, "Operations are normal, with no impact on flights that should concern customers."

How The Microsoft Outage Affects Airlines

A Microsoft outage disrupted Outlook, Teams and other Microsoft 365 services for thousands of users worldwide on Thursday. Reuters reported that the disruption also affected AI service connectors used by OpenAI and Anthropic. Microsoft attributed the issue to server availability and capacity problems.

Lokesh Sharma, an aerospace, defence, space and aviation expert, told Outlook that the impact on airlines depended on their reliance on Microsoft's technology ecosystem.

"The aviation industry relies heavily on digital infrastructure, and Microsoft is a significant technology provider across airlines, airports and aviation service providers. Its tools support communication, collaboration, data management and business operations. However, core aviation functions such as flight operations, air traffic management and flight planning often run on specialised platforms. Therefore, the impact depends on how extensively individual operators rely on Microsoft’s ecosystem."

Sharma said the disruption appeared to be an operational issue rather than a systemic aviation crisis, although limited IT problems could have cascading effects on flight schedules, crew availability, aircraft utilisation and passenger services.

"At present, this appears to be an operational disruption rather than a systemic aviation crisis. However, even limited IT disruptions can trigger cascading effects across flight schedules, crew availability, aircraft utilisation and passenger services. If the outage remains restricted to communication platforms, recovery should be relatively quick." He warned, "A wider impact on operational systems could take days to resolve. Financial losses would include cancellations, delays, passenger rebooking and additional operating costs."

Airlines, he said, were relying on alternative communication channels, rerouted emails, websites, call centres and social media to maintain operational continuity.

"Airlines are activating business continuity measures, including alternative communication channels, customer support through websites and call centres, rerouting email traffic and using social media to communicate with passengers. Where necessary, manual processes and backup systems help maintain operational continuity. The priority is to minimise passenger inconvenience while ensuring flight safety."

On the DGCA's role, Sharma said its responsibility was regulatory oversight and ensuring that airline operations remained safe and compliant, while the underlying infrastructure issue was for Microsoft to resolve.

"The DGCA’s role is primarily regulatory oversight, ensuring that airline operations remain safe and compliant. It can monitor the situation and coordinate with airlines and airport operators where necessary. However, resolving the underlying Microsoft infrastructure issue is the responsibility of the technology provider. Any specific regulatory intervention should be confirmed through official communication."

The outage has also renewed concerns over the aviation industry's dependence on digital infrastructure. Sharma cited the global CrowdStrike outage in July 2024, which disrupted airline check-in systems and airport operations and resulted in more than 5,000 flight cancellations globally on July 19 alone.

"Such incidents highlight the need for stronger digital resilience, backup infrastructure and tested business continuity plans across aviation."

The disruption has once again underscored the vulnerability of airline operations to failures in digital infrastructure, even when core flight systems remain unaffected. As airlines rely on alternative communication channels to keep passengers informed, the incident has highlighted the need for stronger backup systems and business continuity measures to minimise the impact of technology outages on air travel.