IndiGo, Akasa Face Email Support Delays; Air India Says Flights Unaffected.
Dubai: Indian airlines face customer communication disruptions amid a global Microsoft Outlook outage, with IndiGo and Akasa Air reporting delays to their email support services.
The disruption comes as airlines handle passenger queries across multiple channels. Air India, however, said its flight operations and customer communication systems remained unaffected.
For UAE travellers, there were no reported flight delays at Dubai airports linked to the outage. Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express had 16 departures scheduled from Dubai International Airport (DXB) between noon and midnight on Friday, with all flights listed as on time on the airport’s website.
The reported impact on Indian carriers is primarily limited to email communication rather than flight operations.
Email support disruption
IndiGo issued a service advisory warning passengers that its email support services had been affected by the global Microsoft disruption.
“Due to a global Microsoft service disruption, our email support services are currently impacted, and we may not be able to receive your emails,” the airline said.
The carrier said its other customer support channels remained available. Passengers requiring urgent assistance were advised to contact its AI-powered support assistant, 6E Skai, through the airline’s website or mobile application.
IndiGo apologised for the inconvenience and thanked passengers for their patience.
Akasa Air also reported delays to its email support services, warning passengers that it might be unable to receive their messages during the disruption.
“Due to a global Microsoft service disruption, our email support services are currently experiencing delays, and we may be unable to receive your emails,” the airline said.
Passengers requiring immediate assistance were advised to contact the airline’s 24-hour Akasa Care Centre on +91 9606 112131 or reach out through its social media channels.
Air India says operations remain unaffected
Air India said its flight operations remained unaffected and that it was closely monitoring the Microsoft outage.
In an update on its newsroom, the airline said its communication channels, including voice support, AI.g, social media and customer notifications, continued to function normally.
The carrier also said it had temporarily rerouted its emails to ensure that incoming messages continued reaching the airline.
“We are responding to all emails within our usual 24-hour timeline,” Air India said.
It added that all customer support channels were operating as expected and that it would continue monitoring the situation.
Air India turns outage into a cheeky travel message
Air India also took a lighter approach to the disruption, using social media to encourage passengers to start planning their next holiday.
“Emails can wait. The world has been waiting long enough. Consider this your cue to plan that getaway,” the airline said in a social media post.
The accompanying image carried the message: “A change of outlook we’d highly recommend.”
UAE flights: No reported delays at Dubai airport
For passengers flying from Dubai, there were no reported delays linked to the Microsoft outage at the time of reporting.
Air India and Air India Express had 16 departures scheduled from DXB between noon and the end of Friday, with all flights listed as on time on the airport’s website.
Passengers travelling with the Indian carriers should continue checking their flight status through airline websites and airport information channels, particularly if they are awaiting email responses to customer service queries.
Microsoft outage affects users worldwide
Millions of people worldwide, including in the UAE, were unable to access emails and workplace communication tools after a major Microsoft outage disrupted Outlook, Teams and other Microsoft 365 services.
The disruption began on Thursday and continued to affect users on Friday morning. Microsoft said its initial attempts to resolve the issue had not worked, as it continued efforts to restore services.
With businesses, government offices and schools relying on these platforms for everyday operations, the outage has caused widespread disruption and frustration.
