On Friday morning, over 150 flight departures experienced delays at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) due to a technical issue in the air traffic control (ATC) system.
Officials indicated that the disruption was caused by a malfunction in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which provides essential flight plan information to the Auto Track System (ATS).
A statement from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), responsible for managing ATCs, is pending, and the report will be updated upon receipt of this information.
IGIA, recognized as India’s busiest airport, manages more than 1,500 flight movements each day. As reported by the flight tracking platform Flightradar24, 513 flights were delayed on Thursday alone, with 171 delays recorded since the morning.
According to the website, delays for Friday morning departures reached up to 53 minutes, indicating a rising trend. It is important to note that there are typically more departures in the morning than arrivals.
“The problem originated on Thursday afternoon around 3 PM. It has prevented the ATCOs (air traffic controllers) from automatically receiving flight plans on their screens,” stated one official familiar with the situation.
“Consequently, controllers are now manually preparing flight plans using the data available, which is hindering operations and leading to congestion at the airport,” he further explained.
“Such a malfunction is rare and has not occurred previously. Since every task prior to a flight’s departure is being conducted manually, there is currently chaos at Delhi ATC,” remarked another official.
“The team is actively working to resolve the issue, but delays are anticipated to persist until a solution is found,” an official noted.
IndiGo Airlines announced on X regarding the delays.
“#6ETravelAdvisoryFlight operations at #Delhi Airport are currently facing delays due to a technical problem with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. Consequently, flight operations in Delhi and several northern regions are affected. We recognize that prolonged wait times, both on the ground and in the air, may lead to inconvenience, and we genuinely appreciate your patience. Please rest assured that our crew and ground teams are diligently assisting and striving to make your wait as comfortable as possible. For the most recent updates on your flight, we encourage you to visit our website. Thank you for your ongoing understanding,” the airline stated.
Air India also reported that a technical issue with the ATC system in Delhi is affecting flight operations.
“…We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this unexpected disruption, which is outside our control, and we value your patience. Our cabin crew and on-ground personnel at the airport are providing immediate assistance to minimize passenger inconvenience.
