New Delhi: Operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) were disrupted on Friday morning as a major technical fault in the air traffic control (ATC) system led to widespread flight delays. More than a hundred flights were reported delayed as engineers worked to resolve the issue.
According to officials familiar with the matter, the glitch originated in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which transmits crucial flight plan information to the Auto Track System (ATS). The malfunction, which began late Thursday evening, prevented flight plans from being processed automatically.
“With the automated system down, controllers have had to prepare flight plans manually, which is slowing down overall operations,” said an airport source. “The manual process is taking significantly more time, leading to congestion in air traffic and delayed departures.”
Delhi airport, the busiest in the country, typically manages over 1,500 flight movements each day. The disruption has had a cascading effect on the schedule, with both domestic and international operations facing extended waiting times.
Data from flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 indicated an average departure delay of around 50 minutes on Friday morning.
Airport authorities and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) technical teams are reportedly working on an urgent basis to restore normal operations. Passengers have been advised to check with airlines for the latest updates on their flights.
This incident marks one of the rare occasions when a technical snag in ATC systems has impacted flight schedules at such a large scale in the national capital.
