Air India on Saturday issued a travel advisory cautioning passengers about potential delays at Mumbai Airport after a third-party data network outage disrupted check-in systems. The disruption temporarily affected flight departures for multiple airlines, including Air India, and came at a time of heightened passenger traffic due to the Raksha Bandhan festival coinciding with the weekend. The airline confirmed that the affected systems have now been restored, but warned that residual delays could persist as operations gradually return to normal. Passengers were urged to verify their flight status before heading to the airport to avoid unnecessary inconvenience.
According to Air India, the outage caused significant bottlenecks at the airport’s check-in counters, resulting in a temporary backlog of departures. “A third-party data network outage had impacted check-in systems at Mumbai airport, thereby delaying flight departures of airlines, including Air India. The systems have since been restored; however, some of our flights may continue to be affected for some time as the situation normalises progressively,” the airline posted on X. The impact was compounded by the festive rush, which has led to higher-than-usual passenger volumes across domestic and international routes.
The disruption at Mumbai coincided with weather-related delays in Delhi, where heavy rainfall led to more than 300 flights being delayed at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on the same day. While there were no diversions, a few cancellations were reported. Officials stated that Delhi Airport, which handles approximately 1,300 flight movements daily, recorded an average departure delay of around 17 minutes, as per Flightradar24 data. The combined operational disruptions at two of India’s busiest airports caused a ripple effect, affecting schedules across several routes.
In a separate development, Air India has announced an increase in the retirement age for its pilots from 58 to 65 years, and for non-flying staff from 58 to 60 years. The decision, communicated by CEO & MD Campbell Wilson during a town hall meeting, brings the airline’s policies in line with those of the former Vistara airline, which merged with Air India in November 2024. The airline employs approximately 24,000 personnel, including 3,600 pilots and 9,500 cabin crew members. It is not yet confirmed whether the revised retirement age applies to cabin crew. The change also addresses long-standing concerns among pilots who were previously granted extensions on a case-by-case basis up to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) regulatory maximum of 65 years.
