NEW DELHI: Delhi Airport announced on Saturday that flight operations are steadily returning to normal, a day after a technical glitch in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) flight planning system led to delays for more than 300 flights.
In an advisory, Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) urged passengers to remain in contact with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates.
“The technical issue affecting the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports the ATC flight planning process, is gradually improving,” the airport stated.
“Airline operations at Delhi Airport are returning to normal, and all concerned authorities are working diligently to minimize any inconvenience caused. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their airlines for updated flight information.”
The glitch in the AMSS forced ATC officials to switch from automated systems to manual operations, causing widespread slowdowns across the network beginning Thursday afternoon.
Air Traffic Control is a critical ground-based service that manages and guides aircraft movements on the ground and in controlled airspace.
As India’s busiest aviation hub, IGIA handles about 1,500 aircraft movements daily, with peak operations reaching 60–70 flights per hour. Such high traffic levels leave little room for disruption when automated systems malfunction.
The issue originated in the AMSS, which transmits flight plan data to air traffic controllers’ screens. When the system crashed, controllers had to manually process each flight plan, significantly delaying arrivals and departures.
The disruption, which began showing operational impact from 3 p.m. Thursday, is believed to have started on Wednesday evening.
