Air travellers across India faced major disruptions on Friday after a technical glitch in Delhi’s Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) brought flight planning to a near halt. The issue at the heart of India’s busiest airport caused a ripple effect, delaying hundreds of flights at Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, and Jaipur airports.
What Caused the Disruption
A technical failure in Delhi’s AMSS — a critical part of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) network,led to large-scale flight delays on Friday.
The system helps controllers exchange and process flight plans automatically. When it failed, officials had to switch to manual operations, slowing down coordination and causing widespread delays.
According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), “Controllers are processing flight plans manually, leading to some delays.” The agency added that engineers are working to restore the system.
Mumbai Airport Issues Advisory
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai confirmed that its flight operations were affected due to the Delhi system glitch.
“As a result, airline operations may experience delays. Passengers are advised to connect with their respective airlines for updates on flight status and revised schedules,” the airport’s advisory said.
It also apologised to travellers, adding, “We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and cooperation.”
Flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 reported average departure delays of 37 minutes at Mumbai, 50 minutes at Jaipur, and 27 minutes at Pune airports by 6 PM.
Airlines Release Travel Advisories
Multiple airlines including IndiGo and Akasa Air issued advisories to passengers warning of delays and longer waiting times at airports.
IndiGo acknowledged the inconvenience and said its teams were helping passengers.
“While the authorities work to restore full system functionality, our priority is to support you with timely updates and assistance across all airport touchpoints,” IndiGo said in a post on X.
Akasa Air also shared a similar update, alerting passengers about “potential disruptions across its network due to a technical issue with the ATC system at Delhi airport.” The airline requested travellers’ patience and said it regretted the inconvenience.
Delhi Airport Hit the Hardest
At Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the issue triggered delays for over 300 flights. The glitch disrupted the automated system that feeds data to the Auto Track System (ATS), which generates flight plans for controllers.
With automation down, flight plans had to be entered manually. “Controllers are preparing flight plans manually, which is taking significant time,” a senior airport official said.
The failure also affected the Automatic Terminal Information System (ATIS), which handles weather updates for pilots.
Aviation expert Captain Sharath Panicker explained, “Once the aircraft is airborne, the impact is minimal, but getting them off the ground takes much longer.”
As India’s busiest aviation hub, IGIA handles over 1,500 flights daily. According to Flightradar24, departure delays averaged 58 minutes and arrivals 50 minutes by 5 PM.
When Will Normalcy Return?
The AAI confirmed that the system was under repair and that engineers were working to restore normal operations. However, sources suggested that some evening flights might face cancellations due to congestion and limited runway parking.
Officials said services are expected to gradually improve once the AMSS system is back online.
