Air India on Saturday issued a travel advisory alerting passengers of possible delays at Mumbai Airport after a third-party data network outage disrupted check-in systems. The disruption affected flight departures for multiple airlines, including Air India.
The airline said that the affected systems have since been restored. However, some flights may continue to experience delays as operations gradually return to normal. The airline has urged passengers to check flight statuses before heading to the airport.
"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," Air India said in a post on X.
The disruption occurred amid increased passenger traffic due to the Raksha Bandhan festival falling on the weekend, leading to a surge in travel across the country.
Meanwhile, more than 300 flights were delayed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) today following heavy rainfall, officials said. While there were no flight diversions, some cancellations were reported.
Delhi airport, which handles around 1,300 flight movements daily, saw average departure delays of around 17 minutes, according to data from Flightradar24.
In other developments, the airline has raised the retirement age for its pilots to 65 years and for non-flying staff to 60, according to a PTI report. Currently, both categories retire at 58.
The change was announced by CEO&MD Campbell Wilson during a town hall meeting and aligns Air India with the retirement norms of the former Vistara airline.
The airline employs approximately 24,000 personnel, including 3,600 pilots and 9,500 cabin crew members. It remains unclear whether the retirement age for cabin crew has also increased.
Previously, many pilots had their tenure extended up to the regulatory maximum of 65 years, permitted by the DGCA. The move follows integration with Vistara in November 2024 and resolves long-standing concerns among pilots over unequal retirement terms.
Source: India Today