A technical glitch in Delhi Airport’s Air Traffic Control system caused delays to over 100 flights on Friday.
The issue stemmed from a failure in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), forcing controllers to manually prepare flight plans.
The airport said efforts were underway to restore normal operations as teams worked to fix the problem.
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Friday said that a technical issue in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system had caused delays to over 100 flights, affecting both departures and arrivals. In a post on its social media handle, the airport added that efforts were underway to restore normal operations.
According to a PTI report citing sources, more than 100 flights were delayed on Friday. The disruption, which began on Thursday evening, affected both arrivals and departures after a failure in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) forced air traffic controllers to prepare flight plans manually. The AMSS normally supplies data to the Auto Track System (ATS) for generating flight plans, but with automation down, controllers have been entering flight details manually—a slower process leading to congestion and widespread delays, the report added.
“Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays. Their team is actively working with all stakeholders, including DIAL, to resolve it at the earliest,” the Delhi Airport said in a post on X.
The airport, which handles over 1,500 flight movements a day, has been witnessing departure delays averaging around 50 minutes, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. Passengers have been advised to remain in contact with their airlines for real-time updates.
“Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight information. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused,” the airport said in a statement.
Airlines have also issued their own advisories in line with the airport.
“Due to ATC congestion at Delhi, all departures, arrivals, and their consequential flights might get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status via spicejet.com/#status,” SpiceJet said in a post on X.
IndiGo also issued an advisory, noting that operations at Delhi and several northern regions were affected.
“Flight operations at Delhi Airport are currently experiencing delays due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. As a result, flight operations at Delhi and several northern regions are impacted,” the airline said in a post on X.
“We understand that extended wait times, both on the ground and onboard, may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely appreciate your patience. Please be assured that our crew and ground teams are actively assisting and doing their best to make your wait as smooth as possible. For the latest updates on your flight, we encourage you to check our website. Thank you for your continued understanding.”
Air India also issued a travel advisory confirming that the ATC issue in Delhi was impacting operations across all airlines. It added that the disruptions were leading to delays and longer wait times at the airport and onboard aircraft, and that its cabin crew and ground staff were providing immediate assistance to minimise passenger inconvenience.
