Flights resume at Delhi airport after technical glitch fixed

For much of Friday, 7 November, the skies above Delhi shimmered with uncertainty as flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) were thrown into disarray by a technical snag in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. But by late evening, calm began to return: the Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced that the fault in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) had been identified, rectified, and service gradually restored.

The disruption, though brief, sent ripples across India’s busiest airport, grounding aircraft, delaying departures, and leaving passengers stranded in terminals and on tarmacs. The hum of frustration gave way to cautious relief as word spread that the issue — a glitch in the IP-based AMSS — had been resolved.

In a late-night statement, the AAI “deeply regretted” the inconvenience caused to passengers and airlines, reaffirming its “commitment to the highest standards of operational safety, reliability, and service excellence” across the nation’s air traffic management network.

According to the civil aviation ministry, the fault triggered an urgent review meeting where immediate directions were issued to pinpoint and address the root cause. The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) was called in, and additional manpower deployed to manually process flight plans — ensuring that safety remained uncompromised even as systems faltered.

A joint team from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and AAI remains on-site to monitor the restored system’s stability and performance. “The AMSS has now been restored to normal functionality,” the ministry said, noting that while minor delays in automated processing might persist due to backlogged data, “full normalcy is expected shortly.”

Earlier in the day, Delhi Airport took to X to caution travellers: “Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays… Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their airlines for updates.”

Inside the terminals, the impact was palpable — long queues, restless travellers clutching boarding passes, and aircraft idling on runways as communication systems flickered. “The crew requested patience while the issue was being resolved,” one passenger onboard a delayed flight told IANS, describing an atmosphere of quiet endurance.

By nightfall, however, order was returning to the capital’s skies. As aircraft resumed their ascent under the steady watch of controllers, Delhi Airport — momentarily grounded by technology’s fickle hand — once again found its rhythm in the orchestrated ballet of departures and landings.

With IANS inputs