Flight operations at major airports across India faced significant disruption on Thursday morning after a technical malfunction in the Navitaire system, a key platform used by airlines for reservations and passenger check-ins. The glitch lasted for nearly two hours and impacted services at several airports, including Mumbai and Delhi, leaving hundreds of travellers stranded. With booking and check-in processes affected, airlines struggled to manage passenger flow during the busy morning hours. The unexpected outage created confusion among flyers, many of whom reported extended waiting times as airport staff attempted to restore normal operations and minimise inconvenience.
At Indira Gandhi International Airport, the issue was first detected around 6:45 am, triggering immediate operational challenges. Airlines were compelled to switch to manual processing of passenger information, resulting in long queues and overcrowding at check-in counters. Carriers such as IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Air India Express were among those affected by the disruption. India Today sources indicated that IndiGo managed to restore its internal systems within approximately 25 minutes, while the broader Navitaire network resumed full functionality by around 8:25 am after nearly two hours of downtime.
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A similar situation was reported at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, where passengers experienced delays and congestion at various counters. Navitaire plays a crucial role in airline operations by supporting reservations, boarding procedures, and check-in services. When the platform experiences technical issues, airlines are unable to efficiently process travellers, leading to operational bottlenecks. The episode also brought back memories of a major incident in November last year, when a technical failure in the Air Traffic Control system at Delhi airport resulted in delays to more than 800 flights. Delhi airport manages over 1,500 daily flight movements, while Mumbai handles nearly 1,000.