Air India software shutdown effect: 137 flights to be delayed on Sunday

The five-hour shutdown of Air India's check-in software on Saturday morning is still causing its ripple effect as the airline said 137 flights will be delayed on Sunday.

The average duration of delay would be of 197 minutes, the airline spokesperson said.

Thousands of passengers were stranded on Saturday morning at airports across the world as Air India's passenger service system (PSS) software, which looks after check-in, baggage and reservation, did not function between 3:30 am and 8:45 am due to a technical glitch.

The spokesperson said 149 flights were delayed on Saturday because of the software shutdown.

Once an aircraft is delayed in first sector, it is bound to be delayed in the second and third sectors as well. An aircraft generally goes from one sector to another during the day. For example, while Delhi-Mumbai is one sector, Mumbai-Bengaluru is another sector and Bengaluru-Chennai is the third sector.

The average number of flights that Air India group, which also includes subsidiaries Alliance Air and Air India Express, flies daily is 674.

Air India's software solution is managed by SITA, a global airlines IT services major, which provides its check-in, boarding and baggage tracking technology.