Global system outage slows check-ins at Delhi airport amid AI Summit rush
February 19, 2026: Airlines across India faced brief operational disruptions on Thursday morning following an interim outage of Navitaire, a global airline reservation and departure control system owned by Amadeus. The glitch affected multiple carriers in India — including IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet — between 6:45 a.m. and 7:28 a.m., and intermittently again from 8:10 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. Air India was not impacted. Airlines shifted to manual and backup systems to minimise passenger inconvenience.
The outage led to temporary slowdowns in check-in and boarding procedures at several airports, particularly at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, where long queues formed during the peak morning departure window. Officials said the disruption was brought under control quickly, with only minor delays reported and no immediate cancellations linked to the system failure.
The disruption coincided with increased airport activity due to the ongoing Artificial Intelligence Summit 2026 in the national capital. Multiple VIP movements added to congestion at terminals already handling heavy traffic. A NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) was also in effect, imposing temporary flight restrictions at IGIA and airports within a 300-kilometre radius under the Delhi Flight Information Region, allowing only scheduled commercial services, summit-cleared VIP flights and designated defence or emergency operations during specific time windows.