By: The Trek News Desk
Air travel at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport was disrupted on Friday morning after a technical malfunction hit the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, causing significant delays in flight departures at one of the busiest airports in the world.
According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the issue stemmed from a failure in the Automatic Message Switching System, a crucial component that manages air traffic communication data. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the AAI said, “Controllers are currently processing flight plans manually, which has resulted in some delays. Technical teams are working to restore the system at the earliest.”
Major Airlines Affected
Leading carriers such as IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet confirmed that their operations were impacted by the glitch. IndiGo reported disruptions not only in Delhi but also in several parts of northern India. The airlines, however, refrained from providing further operational details at this time.
Average Delay of 55 Minutes
Sources said that between 70 and 80 flight departures were delayed by more than 30 minutes on Friday morning, while around 25 flights faced similar issues on Thursday. Data from flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 showed that departures scheduled between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. were hit the hardest, with average delays of about 55 minutes.
According to the same data, ITA Airways’ Rome-bound flight was delayed by nearly two hours, while Virgin Atlantic’s flight to London took off more than an hour late. The website showed several flights marked in the “red zone,” indicating heavy delays across multiple airlines.
Take-offs Affected, Landings Continue
An airline official told the media that while aircraft landings were continuing normally, take-offs had been partially halted due to the system glitch. The official added that the ATC had not provided a clear timeline for when the technical fault would be fully resolved.
One of the World’s Busiest Airports
Delhi Airport handled nearly 78 million passengers in 2024, earning its position as the ninth busiest airport globally, according to Airports Council International data.
Broader Concerns on System Reliability
The disruption has once again raised questions about the reliability of automated systems at major international airports. Experts suggest that while modern aviation heavily depends on advanced digital infrastructure, technical resilience and backup measures need to be continually strengthened.
Passengers have been advised to stay in contact with their respective airlines and confirm their latest flight schedules before arriving at the airport.
Source: News Agencies
