Global software "glitch" leaves Air India passengers stranded

NEW DELHI, India – Thousands of Air India passengers were stranded at airports around the world on Saturday after a software "glitch" left those traveling with the non-check-in state airline. officials said.

More than 80 domestic and international flights were delayed for six hours due to a problem with the company's check-in software that stopped the operation, causing the aircraft to delay worldwide.

"Our check-in software experienced an error following a routine software upgrade. It was resolved after six hours," said Praveen Bhatnagar, Air India spokesman, AFP.

Bhatnagar said that most delays were on their domestic circuit and they "did everything to remove the feedback".

There were no cancellation agreements, and the airline expects the operation to return to normal early in the evening, the spokesman said.

India's aviation industry is choppy after one of the country's largest private carriers, Jet Airways, this week stopped its business indefinitely after lenders refused to pay it to operate daily.

The state of Air India runs more than 450 games a day worldwide, with a majority of them away from home.

Hundreds of furious passengers took to social media to complain about the widespread disruption, posting pictures and videos of passengers waiting at check-in counter.

"Thousands stranded at the airport for over 3 hours. No updates. No one to talk to. Terrible service", a traveler written on Twitter from Delhi International Airport.

Saturday's software failure is a recurrence of a similar outbreak in June last year that caused flight delays globally.