Major Russian airlines hit by mass booking system failure
A widespread failure in the Leonardo booking system has forced major Russian airlines to implement manual passenger check-in procedures.
Major Russian airlines — Aeroflot, Pobeda, and Nordwind — have announced a massive technical failure affecting key passenger service systems. The incident is linked to a global malfunction in the Leonardo airline booking and ticketing system (developed by Sirena-Travel).
Leonardo is a Russian flight booking system. It was developed by Rostec in partnership with Sirena and launched in 2022 as part of import substitution efforts.
«Due to a global failure in the Leonardo booking system (Sirena-Travel), ticket issuance, rebooking, and refunds, as well as additional services, are temporarily limited across all the airline»s sales channels (website, contact center, agents),« Aeroflot said in a statement.
Pobeda and Nordwind described the problem in almost identical terms. It is worth noting that the failure is systemic and has affected all ticket sales and processing channels. With the automated systems down, passenger check-in is being handled manually.
«At the same time, the airport check-in system for customers is operating in manual mode,» the carriers indicated in their messages.
With systems operating in a limited capacity, passengers are advised to take the following steps to obtain up-to-date information:
Check the flight status on information boards at airports.
Use the online boards on the airlines« official websites.
Arrive at the airport early for manual check-in and be prepared for possible queues.
Keep in mind that contacting the call center may be difficult due to high call volume.
All measures are being taken to restore normal system operation as soon as possible. The airlines have promised to keep passengers informed about developments.
A correspondent from Gorodskiye Media has sent inquiries to the airlines for clarification on the situation.
Problems in operations were also reported at Sochi and Krasnodar airports. The global failure has led to temporary limitations on passenger and baggage check-in. Then, Pulkovo (St. Petersburg) and other airports warned of possible schedule adjustments.
Rostec reported that an operational headquarters has been set up to restore the Leonardo flight booking system. The state corporation clarified that network infrastructure failures are being recorded on the side of the Leonardo provider, Sirena-Travel, according to Kommersant.
The Russian Ministry of Transport and the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) are working with airlines and airports to minimize the impact of the Leonardo system difficulties on flight schedules. As noted by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), about 80–90% of flight bookings in Russia are made through this system.
Updated 17:47 (Moscow time):
The Leonardo booking system«s functionality has been restored, according to state corporation Rostec.
«The Leonardo booking system»s operability has been restored. The cause of the failure was an internal technical issue on the side of the provider — Sirena-Travel,« the statement said.
