The Crowdstrike software glitch impacted Calcutta’s flight services on Friday, as it did across the globe.
More than 100 flights to and from Calcutta were delayed and six were cancelled till Friday evening. Around 9pm on Friday, check-ins were being done manually, said an airport official.
Thousands of passengers were stuck at the Calcutta airport for hours. Those coming to the city were also stuck and faced problems while checking in.
An official at the Calcutta airport said 92 domestic and 10 international flights were delayed between 8am and 5pm. Six domestic flights were cancelled during the period. The official said 215 flights were scheduled to operate during the period.
“The problem continued till late in the evening. Check-in and other software-based operations were done manually,” said the official.
Debajyoti Roy, a professional working in Mumbai, had a 3am flight to Calcutta on Saturday. “I had been trying to do web check-in since 3pm but it was not possible. So, I decided to reach the airport several hours before departure,” said Roy on Friday evening. Later, the airline informed him the flight had been cancelled.
Confusion was rife at the Calcutta airport.
As the passenger information boards at the departure and arrival levels of the terminal turned red on Friday because of cancellations and delays, passengers made a beeline for the airline ticket counters at the departure level to enquire whether they could rebook their tickets.
There were queues of anxious fliers outside the office of the airport manager as well.
“We have had multiple passengers asking us what to do as their flights were cancelled. We directed them to the airlines’ booking counters,” an airport official said.
Many who could not be booked on other flights chose to try and book alternative modes of transport while at the airport.
Vijay Agarwal, a Raipur resident who was in the city on a business trip, got to know that his flight to Raipur on Friday evening had been cancelled. “I had no clue about the cancellation when I checked out of the hotel. I got to know about it after I saw the passenger information board. I rechecked with the airline officials at the enquiry counter. They said that they didn’t have any tickets, so I called my friend and requested him to book a train ticket,” said Agarwal.
Sashank Jha, whose flight to Patna was cancelled, said he had booked an app cab to Esplanade, from where he would take a bus.
“The ticket counters of all airlines at the airport said their flights were full. I have to reach Patna to attend a family occasion, which I cannot miss,” said Jha before boarding the cab.
The airport authorities in Calcutta posted an advisory on X on its official handle @aaikolairport. The post read: “Due to a global IT outage, flight operations are disrupted nationwide, affecting travel and flight schedules. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for updates. Thank you for your understanding.”