Delhi Airport ATC Glitch Disrupts Over 800 Flights; System Now Restored, Says AAI

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Saturday said that the air traffic control (ATC) messaging system at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport is now “up and functional,” a day after a major technical glitch disrupted hundreds of flights.

More than 800 flights were delayed on Friday following a fault in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports the ATC’s flight planning process. The issue forced air traffic controllers to manually process flight plans using available data — a time-intensive procedure that led to widespread delays.

“Passengers are advised to check their flight status with the airlines before leaving for the airport,” the Delhi airport said in a statement.

The disruption at IGI, one of the busiest airports in the world, also had a cascading effect on flight operations in other major hubs, including Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, according to data from Flightradar24.

Key Developments:

• Nearly 800 flights were delayed on Friday after a technical fault hit Delhi’s ATC system.

• Major airlines including IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet reported operational disruptions, resulting in long queues and delays.

• Mumbai airport confirmed its flight schedules were also affected and urged passengers to stay in touch with airlines for updates.

• Delhi’s IGI Airport handles over 1,500 flights daily. Flight-tracking data showed 513 delays on Thursday and another 171 since Friday morning.

The AAI said normal operations have since resumed and that it is investigating the cause of the technical failure to prevent future disruptions.