The Mumbai international airport Terminal 2 had difficulties processing check-in requests for flights on Thursday evening due to a broken fiber cable in the facility causing the Internet server to fail for over two hours, forcing airlines to issue boarding passes manually. Around 6.35 p.m. the services were restored.
Flight services at the Mumbai airport were hit after the server went down. People at the airport reported “crazy crowds” and “long queues” after flights were disrupted.
In a statement, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, operated by Adani Airport Holding Limited, said the disruption in the network was temporary and the Internet services at the country’s second busiest airport were back to normal. “There was a network interruption resulting from a cable cut during construction work in the city. This interrupted the various ticketing systems,” it said.
According to an airline official, as soon as the server failed, airline personnel issued boarding passes manually to avoid flight delays. It was difficult for passengers to complete the check-in process for their flights. Angry passengers took to social media to highlight the problem. Many posted photographs showing huge queues at check-in counters.
Earlier in the day, CSMIA issued a statement saying, “Our passengers are requested to allocate additional time for check-in and also to kindly connect with respective airlines, owing to a temporary network interruption outside the airport due to ongoing development work in the city. Our teams are on the ground, and manual processing has been initiated to facilitate all passengers”
Air India responded to multiple Twitter users, saying their team worked diligently to deal with the issue. Amid the chaos, the Central Industrial Security Force, which looks into the airport’s security, said: “Due to the server down at Mumbai International Airport, the crowd is slightly more than normal. The crowd is being managed well and there is no chaos.”
