Bengaluru airport grounded by tech snag and fog: Dozens of flights face double whammy chaos

New Delhi: Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru plunged into disarray on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, as a crippling combination of a third-party system glitch and severe weather conditions led to widespread flight delays and cancellations. The issue stranded hundreds of frustrated passengers. What began as an operational hiccup for airlines quickly escalated into a major disruption, impacting over 70 flights and leaving travellers fuming.

Initial reports from the flight tracking website Skyscanner indicated 58 flights, split evenly between Tuesday and Wednesday, faced delays. However, the situation deteriorated rapidly, with airport sources confirming that since late Tuesday night, more than 70 flights were disrupted, including 22 cancellations and over 50 prolonged delays.

The primary reason behind much of the initial chaos was identified as a glitch in a crucial third-party system that manages airline operations. This technical snag severely impacted check-in processes across multiple carriers.

Air India, which saw at least six of its flights delayed, acknowledged the issue on X, stating, "Our teams are working diligently to ensure smooth check-in for passengers. While the system is being restored in a phased manner, some of our flights may be delayed until the situation is fully restored." The airline advised passengers to verify their flight status before heading to the airport.

While Air India wrestled with the system outage, IndiGo appeared to bear the brunt of the delays, with "most" of its flights facing setbacks, according to the tracking data. Other airlines experiencing disruptions due to the technical fault included Star Air, SpiceJet, Akasa Air, Singapore Airlines, Batik Air Malaysia, Air France, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, and Kuwait Airways.

Adding to the digital nightmare, Bengaluru's typically vibrant skies were simultaneously shrouded in dense fog, ushering in a "double whammy" for travellers. This inclement weather alone contributed to the delay of 81 flights, with only 33 of these ultimately managing to depart within the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) mandated 15-minute delay window. Flights from Mangaluru and Delhi were among those diverted due to the low visibility.

The cumulative effect of the software malfunction and the misty conditions crippled air travel to and from major Indian cities, including Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Dehradun, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, and Bhopal.

Passengers, many of whom arrived on time, found themselves stranded for hours, their travel plans shattered. Reports from the airport depicted scenes of growing anger and exasperation as individuals struggled to reach their destinations. With the dual issues proving persistent, there are concerns that flight delays could extend beyond today, impacting travel well into tomorrow.

Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) clarified that the delays stemmed solely from "operational reasons of the airlines" and had "nothing to do with the airport," effectively shifting responsibility to the carriers and their systems. Nevertheless, the combined force of a digital breakdown and uncooperative weather created an unprecedented wave of disruption, highlighting the fragility of modern air travel when confronted with simultaneous challenges.