New Delhi: Operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) are gradually returning to normal after a major technical malfunction on Friday caused chaos across India’s air network, delaying more than 800 flights and cancelling at least 20.
In an early morning update on Saturday, Delhi Airport officials said that the system error, which crippled parts of the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) used by Air Traffic Control (ATC) for flight planning, was “showing steady improvement.”
“The technical issue impacting the AMSS has been largely resolved and flight operations are steadily recovering,” the airport authority stated in its 6:30 a.m. advisory. “All stakeholders are working together to minimize passenger inconvenience.”
The Delhi airport, which handles roughly 1,500 flight movements daily, saw widespread disruption starting Friday morning when the AMSS—a critical component for relaying flight plans and operational messages—suffered an unexpected outage. The glitch forced airlines to manage flight clearances manually, leading to significant backlogs.
By Friday night, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed that the system had been restored but warned passengers that residual delays could continue into the weekend as queued operations were processed.
“The AMSS systems are operational again,” the AAI posted on X (formerly Twitter). “However, due to accumulated backlogs, there may still be temporary delays before full automation resumes.”
Hundreds of travellers took to social media to share their frustration over long queues and flight reschedules. Many reported waiting several hours inside terminal lounges with limited communication from airlines.
An aviation official familiar with the situation said that while the issue originated in Delhi, it had a cascading impact on other major airports due to interconnected flight plans. “When the main hub experiences a system-level disruption, ripple effects are unavoidable,” the official said.
Airlines have advised passengers to check their flight status directly with operators before heading to the airport. Additional staff have been deployed at counters and information desks to assist stranded passengers.
Though normal operations are expected to resume soon, industry observers say the incident highlights the urgent need for robust digital backup systems in India’s fast-growing aviation sector.
“Air traffic is increasing every year, and even short disruptions can paralyze the network,” said an aviation analyst based in Gurugram. “Redundancy and real-time system monitoring must become a higher priority.”
As of Saturday afternoon, airport authorities confirmed that most domestic and international flights were back on schedule, though a few short-haul services were still experiencing minor delays.
