Flight operations across all airports have returned to normal, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Saturday. This follows the significant disruption caused by a global Microsoft outage, which led to numerous flight cancellations and chaotic scenes at check-in counters the previous day. The ministry assured that all travel adjustments and refund processes are being handled.

"Since 3 am, airline systems across airports have started working normally. Flight operations are going smoothly now. There is a backlog because of disruptions yesterday, and it is getting cleared gradually. By noon today, we expect all issues to be resolved," the Aviation Ministry stated.

Despite the general improvement, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi faced notable disruptions on Saturday morning. The Digi Yatra system, a biometric-based boarding system, remained non-operational, causing long queues at departure terminals as passengers checked in manually. Additional staff were deployed to assist travelers and manage the congestion.

Between 6-7 am, the system continued to experience glitches while issuing boarding passes. However, the situation improved later in the day.

Most flights managed to stay on schedule, with the waiting period at Terminal 3 departures averaging around 3 to 5 minutes, a significant improvement from Friday when the global outage led to widespread delays.

The global IT outage had far-reaching effects, disrupting airline operations worldwide. Airports and airlines rely heavily on Windows-based systems for various functions, including check-ins, baggage handling, and security clearances. The outage highlighted the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to software issues.

At IGI Airport, the impact was immediate and severe. The disruption of Digi Yatra forced a return to manual processes, slowing down operations and increasing the strain on airport staff and resources.

The outage of Microsoft 365 and Azure services affected hundreds of flights, including those by Indigo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air. Many flights were delayed or canceled as airline operators switched to manual processes. At the Delhi airport, more than 400 flights faced delays, and several passengers took to social media to post images of handwritten boarding passes.