New Delhi (Rajeev Sharma): Flight schedules at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) began to recover on Saturday morning after a serious technical fault triggered widespread delays and cancellations a day earlier, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across Indian airports.
The airport authority said the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) — a core technology used by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to manage flight data and communication — experienced a sudden outage on Friday, leading to massive disruption in air operations.
According to officials, over 800 flights were delayed and about 20 were cancelled as the system failure rippled through the national aviation network. Delhi, which handles the largest volume of flights in India, was hit hardest.
In a statement released around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, a spokesperson for Delhi Airport said that system functionality was “gradually improving,” with airline operations “steadily returning to normal.”
“All agencies are working round the clock to ensure that flight schedules stabilize as quickly as possible,” the statement said. “Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest updates.”
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed late Friday that technicians had restored the AMSS system, but warned that it would take time to clear the backlog created by the outage.
“AMSS is now operational. However, residual delays may persist until normal automated operations are fully restored,” AAI posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The glitch forced air traffic controllers and airline staff to revert to manual coordination methods, slowing the processing of flight plans and departures. The bottleneck spread quickly, affecting airports in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kolkata that rely on Delhi’s airspace network.
Passengers reported long queues and confusion inside terminals, with many taking to social media to express frustration over limited information from airlines. Some domestic flights were rescheduled multiple times as ground operations struggled to regain rhythm.
A senior aviation official said the malfunction underscored the fragility of India’s growing air traffic infrastructure. “Even a brief interruption at a central hub like Delhi can paralyze the national grid,” the official noted. “We need stronger system redundancy and faster backup activation protocols.”
By Saturday afternoon, most domestic departures were operating close to schedule, though minor delays continued for international flights. Airport authorities said technical teams remain on-site to monitor the restored systems and prevent further disruptions.
Despite the inconvenience, passengers arriving at the airport on Saturday morning expressed cautious optimism. “At least flights are moving again,” said Priya Malhotra, a traveller headed to Bengaluru. “Yesterday was chaos, but things seem smoother today.”
