Mumbai: Air India (AI) flights from here faced delays all through Monday as the airline's nodal software system crashed for more than 12 hours. Passenger check-in and ticketing were done manually, leading to long queues at the airline counters. All departing flights reported 20-30 minute delays.
According to officials at the airport, the airline's system became sluggish since 3am. There was reportedly a partial system crash. This continued through most of the afternoon. The airline had a total system failure around 3.30pm. The system was restored by 4.40pm. "Due to partial system failure, boarding cards couldn't be issued at the airline counters. Passengers had to wait before the airline could switch to manual ticketing and check-in," said an airport official. "It took some time to get the required staff strength and issue handwritten boarding passes," he added. A system crash usually slows down pre-boarding procedures. While most of the processes can be done manually, they become more time-consuming.
23/04/13 Times of India
