Microsoft outage disrupts flights, courts and police in 74 countries and territories

SpiceJet, IndiGo and Akasa Air reported email service issues, leading to flight cancellations and operational delays.

Edited by Sandeep Gupta, Editor · SafarSamachar Desk✔ Approved by Sandeep Gupta13 Nov 2026, 7:23 pm IST

Illustration

Illustration: SafarSamachar Pix Desk, created with AI assistance. Not a photograph of the event.

Key facts at a glance

1Microsoft email server outage started on 12 November and affected 74 countries and territories
2Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and Microsoft 365 Copilot faced disruptions
3SpiceJet cancelled three flights from Delhi due to the outage
4IndiGo and Akasa Air also reported problems with their email support services
5Microsoft said recovery efforts were ongoing with service health remaining variable

On 12 November a Microsoft email server outage hit 74 countries and territories, crippling Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and Microsoft 365 Copilot. At its peak about 130,000 users in the US reported Outlook problems.

In India the issue lingered into Friday morning; Outlook and Teams were inaccessible. SpiceJet cancelled three Delhi departures because of the email failure, while IndiGo and Akasa Air said their support services were down.

The root cause surfaced in Exchange Online when many servers went offline unexpectedly. A core process overloaded those servers. Microsoft rerouted traffic and rebuilt affected servers. An executive vice-president confirmed no signs of cyber activity. Microsoft said recovery efforts were ongoing, but service health remained variable.

The incident underscores how much global operations—from airlines to government bodies—depend on cloud services. While the outage eventually eased, its impact was immediate and widespread across industries.

What this means for Indian travellers

If you are flying with SpiceJet, IndiGo or Akasa Air and experience email service issues, check with the airline for any flight changes or delays caused by the outage.

Sources

This brief was written with AI assistance from the reports listed above and read and approved for publication by Sandeep Gupta on 13 Nov 2026; the figures come from the reports listed above. Read our editorial policy.Rules and schedules change - confirm with the airline or embassy before you travel. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Source Verification

For official notices, schedules, or policy compliance frameworks, verify details directly via IndiGo or SpiceJet.