Major Flight Disruptions at Delhi's IGI Airport Due to Technical Glitch
Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport experienced significant flight disruptions for more than 24 hours following a technical failure in the Air Traffic Control systems. The airport authorities confirmed that operations are gradually returning to normal, but advised passengers to remain in contact with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates.
Extensive Flight Delays and Passenger Impact
According to data from Flightradar24 cited by Bloomberg, arriving flights at IGI Airport were delayed by an average of 50 minutes on Friday, while departures faced even longer delays of nearly one hour. The situation persisted throughout Friday, affecting hundreds of flights and causing considerable inconvenience to travelers.
The root cause was identified as a computer glitch in the airport's Air Traffic Control systems. The Airports Authority of India revealed through a post on X that the issue began on Thursday evening due to a technical problem with the automatic message switching system. This critical system failure disrupted the processing of flight plan messages, creating a cascading effect on flight operations.
Manual Operations and Resolution Efforts
As the technical issue emerged, airport authorities swiftly deployed additional staff to process flight plans manually during the system outage. However, this manual intervention led to increased separation between departing aircraft, resulting in inefficient usage of airspace and subsequent delays.
The timeline of events shows the airport's response to the crisis:
Friday, 8:30 AM: Delhi Airport issued its first advisory, acknowledging the technical issue with the ATC system and assuring passengers that teams were working to resolve it promptly.
Friday, 10:00 AM: The Airport Authority of India provided more specific details, identifying the problem in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) and confirming that controllers were processing flight plans manually.
Friday, 11:20 AM: Delhi airport updated that the matter was being addressed on priority with close coordination among ATC, DIAL, and other stakeholders.
Friday, 12:00 PM: IndiGo Airlines released an advisory confirming that flights across all airlines at Delhi Airport and some other airports in the northern region were experiencing delays.
Friday, 1:30 PM: All airline operations at Delhi airport remained delayed, with authorities continuing to work on resolving the issue.
Friday, 11:00 PM: The airport authority announced that airline operations were returning to normal, though the technical issue was still being gradually improved.
Saturday Morning: The airport confirmed that operations were continuing to normalize, maintaining the same advisory for passengers to stay connected with their airlines.
Passenger Advisory and Airline Response
Throughout the disruption, airport authorities and airlines consistently advised passengers to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates. IndiGo specifically recommended that travelers check their flight status online and arrive earlier than usual to accommodate additional processing time at the airport.
The airline acknowledged the inconvenience caused to passengers, stating: "We understand how inconvenient and uncertain this can be, especially when travel plans are involved. Please be assured that the authorities are working to restore the system at the earliest, and our on-ground teams are doing their best to support you and ensure continuity of services."
As Delhi's primary international airport works to fully restore normal operations, passengers are encouraged to maintain flexibility in their travel plans and monitor official communication channels for real-time updates.
