New Delhi (Rajeev Sharma): A significant technical malfunction in Delhi’s air traffic control system triggered heavy flight delays on Friday morning, affecting more than 100 departures and arrivals at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
Sources within the airport operations confirmed that the disruption began on Thursday evening when the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) — responsible for transferring flight plan data — encountered a breakdown. The glitch hindered the Auto Track System from receiving flight information automatically, forcing air traffic controllers to handle flight plans manually.
“The manual entry of flight details is a slow and tedious process, which is causing delays and increasing congestion in air traffic,” an official said. “Teams have been working through the night to identify and fix the root cause.”
The Delhi airport, which facilitates over 1,500 flight movements daily, saw several morning departures pushed back by up to an hour, according to live data from Flightradar24. Passengers at the terminal reported long queues and extended waiting periods as ground staff coordinated revised schedules.
Technical teams from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are on-site to restore normal functioning of the system. Officials emphasized that flight safety remains uncompromised despite the disruption.
Airlines have urged passengers to stay updated through official communication channels before heading to the airport, as delays may persist until the technical issues are fully resolved.
This is one of the most extensive operational interruptions faced by the Delhi airport in recent months, highlighting the growing dependence of modern aviation on seamless digital coordination systems.
