Delhi airport hit by massive tech glitch; over 100 flights delayed, chaos among flyers

OVER 100 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport on Friday morning due to technical problems with the air traffic control system. The authorities said they are working to fix the issues.

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi is the country's busiest airport, handling over 1,500 flight movements daily.

Delhi airport issued a passenger advisory and said, “Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, flight operations at the IGIA are experiencing delays. Team is actively working to resolve it at the earliest.”

The airport advised the passengers to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight update.

The Airport Authority of India said that the automatic message switching system at the Delhi Airport was “temporarily unserviceable” and is likely to result in slow air traffic movement.

“Flight operations at Delhi Airport are experiencing delays due to a technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports Air Traffic Control data. Controllers are processing flight plans manually, leading to some delays,” AAI spokesperson said.

“Technical teams are working to restore the system at the earliest. We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all passengers and stakeholders,” they added.

According to news agency PTI, citing sources, the air traffic controllers have been unable to get flight plans automatically due to technical issues since Thursday evening.

There are some issues with the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that provides the information for the Auto Track System (AMS), which gives the flight plans, PTI reported, citing another source.

The sources said that, with the system issues continuing, air traffic controllers are manually preparing flight plans using available data, a time-consuming process that has resulted in many flights being delayed.

The issues, they said, are also causing air traffic congestion at the airport, and authorities are working to fix the problems.

Information available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com showed that there is around a 50-minute delay for flight departures at the Delhi airport.

Airlines issue travel advisory

After Delhi Airport announced a technical glitch in its ATC system, and a resulting delay in flight operations, airlines, including IndiGo and SpiceJet, also issued travel advisories for their passengers.

In a tweet, IndiGo said that flight operations at Delhi and several northern regions are impacted by the ATC system issue. “Please be assured that our crew and ground teams are actively assisting and doing their best to make your wait as smooth as possible. For the latest updates on your flight, we encourage you to check our website.”