Certain SpiceJet systems faced an attempted ransomware attack last night that impacted and slowed down morning flight departures on Wednesday, the budget carrier says in a statement.
Many passengers took to microblogging platform Twitter after they were stuck at airports across the country.
"The flights are NOT operating normally! The Delhi Dharamshala flight is still stranded on the runway since 6am! I have a sick child with me, making this wait extremely difficult. There is no update on when the flight will take off or whether it will take off or not!" Twitter user Prajakta Tanksale writes on the social media platform.
Passengers also complained about the absence of the airline's ground staff at boarding gates.
Yogesh Vaishnav, another Twitter user who was stuck at the airport, says: "SG 1008 haven't moved an inch in 6 hrs. We have boarded two times in the same carrier today. Both times the flight attendants mentioned they are awaiting an 'approval letter'. Passengers are becoming agitated now. Please act fast."
Meanwhile, the low-cost carrier claimed that it has "rectified" the situation. "Our IT team has contained and rectified the situation and flights are operating normally now," the company says.
On Wednesday, SpiceJet said it has signed and concluded the settlement and consent terms with regard to the pending dispute with Credit Suisse AG.
The settlement and consent terms, which were executed on May 23, 2022, have also been filed before the Supreme Court of India for final orders, the airline said.
The settlement involves payment of a certain amount upfront and balance amount over a mutually agreed timeline.
SpiceJet said it had already provided a bank guarantee of $5 million on the direction of the Madras High Court in the matter and there is no adverse financial liability on the company.
The settlement with Credit Suisse follows SpiceJet’s successful settlements and performances therein with De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (DHC), Boeing, CDB Aviation, BOC Aviation and Avolon and provides an impetus to normalisation, growth and expansion of the airline.
The Ajay Singh-led airline operates a fleet of Boeing 737s, Q‐400s & freighters and is the country’s largest regional player operating 63 daily flights under UDAN or the Regional Connectivity Scheme. The airline also operates a dedicated air cargo service under the brand name SpiceXpress.
