Flight operations were briefly disrupted at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday morning after a technical fault in the Navitaire booking and check-in system caused delays during the peak travel period.
The glitch began at around 06:45 local time and was resolved by approximately 07:30, according to airport sources.
Airlines forced to check in passengers manually
During the 45-minute outage, airlines including IndiGo, Akasa Air and Air India Express had to process passengers manually.
The disruption led to long queues at check-in counters as staff recorded passenger details by hand. Some flights experienced delays to boarding and departure as a result.
The issue was not confined to Delhi. Airlines in parts of the Asia-Pacific region and Europe also reported check-in and boarding delays linked to the system outage.
The incident came at a time of increased activity at Delhi airport due to the ongoing AI Summit, adding pressure during the busy morning schedule.
An official statement from Navitaire stated: “On February 19th, a planned maintenance change unexpectedly led to network instability for Navitaire hosted airlines.
“Technical teams took immediate action, and the issue was fully resolved after 50 minutes. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers. All services are currently operating normally.”
What is Navitaire?
Navitaire is a travel technology firm that provides reservation, ticketing, check-in and revenue management systems to airlines and some rail operators worldwide.
It is not an airline itself, but many low-cost and hybrid carriers rely on its platform to manage bookings and flight operations.
Julian Fish, SVP & Head – Aviation Operations Solution at IBS Software, said: “Navitaire’s system outage puts airlines’ ability to handle disruption under the spotlight.
“Carriers are now under real pressure to manually process passengers, rebook those affected, and manage the disruption caused to later departures. This is far from simple – especially when many airlines still rely on outdated or rigid IT systems that amplify, rather than absorb, the shock of an outage.
“Disruption is a daily operational reality, but without modern technology that gives ops teams instant visibility, supports rapid decision‑making, and enables clear communication with passengers, airlines risk prolonged delays and further erosion of customer trust.”
Navitaire is a wholly owned subsidiary of Amadeus IT Group and is headquartered in Minneapolis, with operations across Europe, Asia and Australia.
While Thursday’s disruption was short-lived, it highlights the aviation sector’s reliance on centralised digital systems, where even brief outages can cause significant operational knock-on effects.
