Flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), India's busiest aviation hub, were severely disrupted on Friday morning after a malfunction in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) messaging system and concurrent GPS spoofing incidents over Delhi airspace forced controllers to switch to manual flight planning. The slowdown delayed more than 350 flights, both arrivals and departures, through the day. The technical fault has since been resolved, according to the civil aviation ministry.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) said flight operations at Delhi were affected by a "technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports Air Traffic Control data." It said controllers were processing flight plans manually and that technical teams were working to restore the system at the earliest. "We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all passengers and stakeholders," AAI said.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which runs the aerodrome, said, "We regret the disruption being experienced at IGIA due to a technical issue at ATC that is affecting flight operations. This matter is being addressed on priority in close coordination with ATC, DIAL, and other stakeholders." It asked passengers to follow airline advisories for revised schedules.
Airlines including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Air India Express issued separate statements as long queues and congestion were reported across terminals. IndiGo said it understood the inconvenience caused by the AMSS issue and that its teams were "doing their utmost to ensure your journey remains as smooth as possible." Air India said a third-party network issue had earlier affected check-in systems at some airports, delaying departures of several airlines, though the system had since been restored.
Later in the day, the civil aviation ministry said AAI has resolved a technical fault in the AMSS, which had delayed the processing of flight plans. "The AMSS systems are up and functional now. Due to some backlogs, there may be some delays in the normal functioning of automated operations, but the situation will be normal soon," the ministry said in a statement. It added that officials, along with the AMSS OEM, were immediately deployed to manually process flight plans and ensure uninterrupted and safe air traffic operations.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) said flight operations at Delhi were affected by a "technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports Air Traffic Control data." It said controllers were processing flight plans manually and that technical teams were working to restore the system at the earliest. "We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all passengers and stakeholders," AAI said.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which runs the aerodrome, said, "We regret the disruption being experienced at IGIA due to a technical issue at ATC that is affecting flight operations. This matter is being addressed on priority in close coordination with ATC, DIAL, and other stakeholders." It asked passengers to follow airline advisories for revised schedules.
Airlines including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Air India Express issued separate statements as long queues and congestion were reported across terminals. IndiGo said it understood the inconvenience caused by the AMSS issue and that its teams were "doing their utmost to ensure your journey remains as smooth as possible." Air India said a third-party network issue had earlier affected check-in systems at some airports, delaying departures of several airlines, though the system had since been restored.
Later in the day, the civil aviation ministry said AAI has resolved a technical fault in the AMSS, which had delayed the processing of flight plans. "The AMSS systems are up and functional now. Due to some backlogs, there may be some delays in the normal functioning of automated operations, but the situation will be normal soon," the ministry said in a statement. It added that officials, along with the AMSS OEM, were immediately deployed to manually process flight plans and ensure uninterrupted and safe air traffic operations.
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