Delhi ATC Glitch Resolved, But Flights Continue to Face Delays

The technical glitch in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was resolved on Saturday (November 8). However, flight departures and arrivals are expected to remain irregular for some time, as operations gradually return to normal.

More than 800 flights were delayed following a failure in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which disrupted communication between air traffic controllers and pilots.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) at 11:55 a.m., Delhi Airport announced: “All flight operations are normal at Delhi Airport. Wishing all our passengers a smooth and pleasant journey ahead.”

Passengers were advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for real-time updates.

The disruption in Delhi — a major aviation hub for North India — also caused widespread delays at other airports, grounding connecting flights and affecting crew duty schedules. Many passengers missed onward connections as aircraft remained idle awaiting clearance.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI), in a late-night statement on Friday, said it “deeply regrets” the inconvenience caused and reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining operational safety and service reliability across India’s air traffic network.

According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, an urgent review meeting was held soon after the glitch was detected. A dedicated team from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and AAI remains on-site to monitor system performance.

“The AMSS has now been restored to normal functionality. While minor delays may persist due to backlogged data, the system is stabilising and full normalcy is expected shortly,” the ministry stated.