ATC Glitch Triggers Major Delays at Delhi Airport, Over 100 Flights Affected

Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) were severely disrupted on Friday morning after a technical failure in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system caused massive delays, grounding and rescheduling over 100 flights.

Officials said the snag was traced to the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), a key data network that powers the Auto Track System (ATS) — essential for preparing and transmitting flight plans. The system malfunctioned late Thursday, forcing controllers to shift to manual flight plan processing, which significantly slowed operations and created airspace congestion around Delhi.

“The AMSS, which provides data to the Auto Track System, stopped functioning properly, and controllers are now processing flight details manually,” an airport official said. “This has reduced the efficiency of the system and caused cascading delays.”

By Friday morning, departure delays at IGIA averaged nearly an hour, with several flights forced to circle in holding patterns before landing. As Delhi is India’s busiest airport, handling over 1,500 flights daily, the disruption quickly rippled across northern cities such as Lucknow, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Amritsar.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) confirmed the issue, saying: “Flight operations have been impacted due to a technical fault in the ATC system. Teams from AAI and DIAL are working together to resolve it at the earliest.”

Airlines including IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet issued advisories to passengers, warning of possible delays. IndiGo said on X (formerly Twitter), “Flight operations at Delhi Airport are currently delayed due to an ATC system issue. Our staff is assisting passengers at the airport.” SpiceJet said all departures and arrivals “may be affected,” while Air India apologised to customers, citing an “unforeseen disruption beyond our control.”

Inside terminals, scenes of chaos unfolded as passengers faced long queues, repeated boarding delays, and limited communication from airlines. Many took to social media to vent their frustration, sharing images of crowded gates and delayed departure screens.

AAI officials said technical teams were working to restore the AMSS and clear the backlog. “ATC operations have stabilised but remain slower than normal. We expect full restoration soon,” a senior official said around noon.

The glitch marks one of the most significant ATC-related disruptions in recent memory at Delhi Airport, raising concerns about the resilience of critical aviation systems in handling the country’s surging air traffic.