Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) came to a standstill on Friday morning after a major technical failure in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system disrupted operations, delaying over 400 flights. The issue originated from a malfunction in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), a critical software that transmits flight plan data to the Auto Track System (ATS). With the system down, air traffic controllers were forced to process flight plans manually, leading to significant congestion and long wait times on the ground. Officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed that technical teams were working to restore normalcy and urged passengers for patience.

According to flight-tracking portal Flightradar24, by Friday afternoon, 313 departures and 118 arrivals had been delayed, with average delays extending up to 53 minutes. The malfunction reportedly began on Thursday around 3 pm and persisted through Friday, affecting both domestic and international operations. Sources within the ATC described the situation as “unprecedented,” noting that controllers are performing every task manually — from approving flight plans to sequencing departures — a process that has drastically slowed down operations at India’s busiest airport, which handles more than 1,500 flights daily.

Airlines including IndiGo and Air India have issued advisories acknowledging the disruption and apologizing to passengers. IndiGo stated that flight operations across Delhi and northern regions were being impacted, while Air India emphasized that the issue was beyond their control and assured that ground teams were assisting affected travelers. As repair efforts continue, AAI has not specified an exact restoration timeline. The disruption highlights the vulnerability of critical aviation infrastructure and the urgent need for system redundancy to prevent nationwide cascading effects in air travel.