A critical technical failure in the Air Traffic Control system at Indira Gandhi International Airport caused delays for over 300 flights starting Friday morning. The disruption originated from a malfunction in the Automatic Message Switching System, which automatically transmits flight plans to the Auto Track System used by controllers. As a result, air traffic personnel were required to process all flight plans manually, significantly slowing operations at the airport that handles more than 1,500 daily movements.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated average departure delays of approximately 50 minutes, with congestion affecting both domestic and international schedules. Major airlines including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air issued passenger advisories confirming the impact of the ATC system outage. Ground operations faced additional strain as check-in counters and boarding gates experienced prolonged queues.
The Airports Authority of India confirmed the issue in an official statement, attributing delays to the AMSS failure and assuring that technical teams were working continuously to restore functionality. Delhi International Airport Limited, the airport operator, acknowledged the severity and stated that coordinated efforts with all stakeholders were underway to resolve the problem at the earliest.
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The incident led to diversions of several flights to alternate airports such as Jaipur and Chandigarh, compounding challenges for airlines and passengers. While partial recovery was reported by midday with reduced delays on some runways, the event highlighted vulnerabilities in critical aviation infrastructure amid rising air traffic volumes.
Authorities have committed to a detailed investigation following system restoration to prevent future occurrences. The disruption serves as a reminder of the complex dependencies in modern air traffic management and the need for robust contingency measures.
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