NEW DELHI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- India's state-owned carrier Air India's check-in system has been restored after it suffered a global shutdown for hours early Saturday morning following a server breakdown, officials said.
The glitch in the server which occurred at around 3:00 a.m. (local time) hampered operations and caused delay in its domestic and international flights across the world, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at various airports.
"Our server system SITA (Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques), which faced a temporary glitch, this morning was restored at 8:45 a.m. (local time). Air India's senior executives, including CMD, directors, station heads rushed to airports to take control of the situation and facilitate passengers. Flights rescheduled to minimize inconvenience," a statement issued by Air India said.
According to Air India Chairman Ashwani Lohani, Air India's software solution is managed by SITA, a global airline information technology services major, which provides its check-in, boarding and baggage tracking technology.
The server crash has created a huge backlog. Meanwhile, the airline also published a list of 18 flights with revised timings.
"The system has been restored. It has begun functioning. We regret the inconvenience that passengers had to face," Lohani said. "We are trying to regularise all the flights for the day."
The delay has caused a lot of resentment among the stranded passengers who shared complaints, photos and videos on social media networking websites.
"I along with my brother was scheduled to fly in Air India flight from Srinagar at 12:25 p.m. (local time). We have been provided boarding passes but are yet to board the flight," Rouf Ahmad, a passenger told Xinhua. "The officials here say the flight has got delayed."
