Delhi Airport Chaos: Over 100 Flights Delayed Due to Air Traffic Control Glitch

Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) descended into disarray on Friday after a major glitch in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system led to extensive delays, disrupting more than 100 flights and affecting thousands of passengers.

According to officials, the snag occurred in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), a crucial communication module that feeds data into the Auto Track System (ATS), which assists air traffic controllers in planning and managing flight paths. The fault, which reportedly began late Thursday evening, forced controllers to switch to a manual mode of operation — a slow and error-prone process that significantly hampered flight clearances and coordination.

“With the AMSS down, controllers are preparing flight plans manually, and this process is taking much longer than usual,” a senior airport official said, adding that the glitch created a major bottleneck in managing airspace around Delhi, India’s busiest aviation hub.

By Friday morning, departure delays averaged between 45 and 60 minutes, with several incoming flights forced into holding patterns. The disruption also triggered a ripple effect across northern airports, including Lucknow, Jaipur, Amritsar, and Chandigarh.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) confirmed that technical teams from both the airport operator and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) were working “round the clock” to restore normal operations. “Flight operations have been impacted due to a technical issue in the ATC network. Efforts are underway to resolve it at the earliest,” DIAL said in a statement.

Airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet, issued passenger advisories, warning of possible delays and cancellations. IndiGo posted on X that its ground staff were assisting passengers impacted by “ATC congestion.” SpiceJet cautioned that departures and arrivals “may be delayed due to ongoing ATC issues,” while Air India apologised for the inconvenience, describing the situation as “beyond our control.”

Inside the terminals, long queues built up at check-in counters and boarding gates, while several passengers reported being held onboard aircraft for over an hour. Social media platforms were flooded with complaints and pictures showing overcrowded waiting areas.

By noon, AAI officials said that partial restoration had been achieved but warned that clearing the backlog would take several hours. “ATC operations have stabilised but are still slower than normal. Full restoration is expected soon,” an AAI spokesperson said.

The incident marks one of the most serious ATC-related disruptions at Delhi Airport in recent years, underscoring concerns about the reliability of critical aviation infrastructure amid India’s rapidly growing air traffic.