Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) plunged into chaos on Friday morning after a critical software malfunction hit the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, leading to widespread delays and mounting congestion.
Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) plunged into chaos on Friday morning after a critical software malfunction hit the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, leading to widespread delays and mounting congestion. Reports suggest that the glitch lies within the “Aeronautical Message Switching System” (AMSS) — a vital digital platform responsible for processing flight plans for departures, arrivals, and aircraft overflying Delhi’s airspace. The software has reportedly been malfunctioning for at least two days, with the situation now spiraling as delays have “stacked up.”
Delhi airport hit by technical snag; 150 flights hit
By 9 am, more than 150 flights had already been impacted, with several departures delayed by well over an hour. The ripple effect has begun to choke ground operations, with aircraft unable to take off on time, threatening to leave the airport with no available parking space for incoming flights.
Delhi Airport issued a public advisory on X, “Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays. Their team is actively working with all stakeholders including DIAL to resolve it at the earliest. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused.”
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The AMSS software processes thousands of flight plans daily — not only for aircraft taking off or landing in Delhi but also for those merely transiting its airspace. With the system either crashing or functioning erratically, overworked controllers are now manually inputting critical data — an error-prone and time-consuming process.
IGIA, one of the busiest airports in Asia, typically handles around 1,550 flights every day, along with hundreds more that overfly its airspace. The manual data entry workload has placed immense strain on the ATC team. Engineers from Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL), Hyderabad, have reportedly been working relentlessly for the past two days to restore the system.
Amid the ongoing disruption, SpiceJet issued passenger advisory, warning travellers about potential delays, “Due to ATC (Air Traffic Control) congestion at Delhi, all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status.”
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IndiGo, too, informed passengers of extended ground and onboard waiting times, “Our crew and ground teams are actively assisting and doing their best to make your wait as smooth as possible.”
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Meanwhile, Air India acknowledged the system failure in a statement, “A technical issue with the ATC system in Delhi is impacting flight operations across all airlines, leading to delays and longer wait times at the airport and onboard aircraft. We regret the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption, which is beyond our control, and appreciate your patience.”
The airline further assured that its staff is “extending immediate assistance to reduce passenger inconvenience.”