New Delhi, November 8 — A major technical malfunction at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport brought flight operations to a standstill on Friday, causing delays to more than 400 domestic and international flights, officials confirmed.
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, 313 departures and 118 arrivals were affected, leading to chaos inside terminals as passengers faced long queues and overcrowding. Major airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet, reported significant disruptions.
Authorities said the problem originated from a failure in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which plays a key role in processing flight plans for air traffic control. The glitch, which occurred during a software upgrade, forced controllers to manually prepare flight plans, slowing operations considerably.
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) stated that efforts were underway to restore normalcy. “All flight operations at Delhi Airport are currently delayed due to a technical issue. Teams are working to fix it at the earliest, and passengers are advised to check updates with their respective airlines,” DIAL said in a statement.
An official from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology confirmed that the disruption was caused by a system malfunction and ruled out any cyberattack. “It was a technical fault during an upgrade process, not a security breach,” the official said.
The glitch also affected the Automatic Terminal Information System (ATIS), which integrates weather and flight data from across the country, further complicating operations.
With Delhi Airport managing over 1,500 flight movements every day, Friday’s incident marked one of the most significant operational setbacks in recent years, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
