Software glitch hits multiple Indian airports, long queues form at check-in counters

Flight operations at several airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, were disrupted on Thursday morning after a 45-minute technical glitch in Navitaire, an airline reservation and departure control system used by multiple carriers. The outage, which began around 6:45 am, affected check-in and boarding processes, leading to congestion and long queues during the peak morning rush.

At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), airlines were forced to switch to manual procedures as passenger processing systems slowed down. The disruption was reported between 6:45 am and 7:28 am, and intermittently from 8:10 am to 8:25 am. The system was later restored, and operations gradually normalised. Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport also witnessed crowding at check-in counters due to the outage.

Multiple carriers, including IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet, were impacted. Officials said there were temporary delays in check-in and boarding, though no immediate flight cancellations were reported. Airlines activated backup procedures to minimise inconvenience to passengers.

The situation in Delhi was compounded by additional operational pressure due to VIP movements linked to the ongoing Artificial Intelligence Summit 2026 and a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) imposing temporary flight restrictions in and around the national capital. These factors added to congestion at terminals already handling heavy morning departures.

Navitaire, owned by Amadeus, provides digital-first passenger service systems for reservations, ticketing and airport operations, particularly for low-cost and hybrid carriers. When such systems face outages, airlines are unable to process passengers efficiently, often resulting in delays and crowding. Authorities said the issue was resolved within hours and airport operations returned to normal.