Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport one of India’s busiest aviation hubs are steadily returning to normal, nearly 36 hours after a major technical failure hit the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system and caused widespread disruption.
Significant Drop in Flight Delays
According to data from flight tracking website Flightradar24, around 129 flights including 53 arrivals and 76 departures were delayed on Saturday. This marked a sharp decline from the nearly 800 flight delays recorded on Friday.
Average delays have also reduced, with arrivals running late by about five minutes and departures by roughly 19 minutes, signaling that operations are gradually stabilizing.
Airport Authorities Confirm Recovery
In an official statement, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) confirmed that the issue was being addressed and that flight operations were improving. “The technical issue which affected the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), that supports the Air Traffic Control flight planning process, is gradually improving. Airline operations at Delhi Airport are returning to normal, and all concerned authorities are working diligently to minimise any inconvenience caused. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their airlines for latest flight update,” the statement said.
The AMSS is a key system that manages flight plans and enables communication between airlines and air traffic controllers. Its malfunction on Thursday evening triggered large-scale disruptions in flight scheduling and coordination.
IndiGo Confirms System Restoration
IndiGo Airlines, which was among the worst-affected carriers, also shared a positive update on the situation.
“We are pleased to share that the temporary AMSS system outage affecting Air Traffic Control has now been resolved, and normal operations are being progressively restored at Delhi Airport and other impacted airports in the northern region,” the airline stated.
IndiGo thanked both airport and ATC teams for their quick action in resolving the issue. However, it warned passengers that minor delays and congestion could persist until operations are fully normalised.
“Airport operator and ATC teams are working on priority to fully restore systems and stabilise operations. The situation is expected to be normalised over the next few hours. During this period, some departure and arrival timings may continue to be adjusted,” the airline added.
Passenger Advisory issued at 06:36 Hours#DelhiAirport #PassengerAdvisory #DELAdvisory pic.twitter.com/7AB6ewJoA7
— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) November 8, 2025
Chaos Erupted After Thursday’s Breakdown
The crisis began on Thursday evening when ATC officers noticed that flight plan data was missing from their terminals. Within minutes, officials confirmed that the Automatic Message Switching System had failed, stopping the automated transfer of flight information.
Without the digital system, air traffic controllers were forced to handle flight plans manually, causing severe delays. By Friday, nearly 800 flights were delayed, with average departures held up for 45 minutes to an hour.
Many passengers complained on social media about being stranded for hours or waiting inside aircraft before take-off. Limited parking bays and airspace congestion further added to the chaos.
AAI Assures No Compromise on Safety
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued a clarification, assuring passengers that flight safety was never compromised.
“There was no impact on aircraft already in the air. The disruption was purely related to the pre-departure message flow and flight plan processing,” the statement said.
The AAI added that such technical issues are rare and that teams worked continuously to restore normal ATC functions. With most systems back online, Delhi Airport appears to be slowly regaining full operational stability.
