Delhi Airport Recovers After Major Tech Glitch
The Live info Media
Operations “Gradually Improving” After System Failure
Flight operations at Delhi Airport, one of India’s busiest aviation hubs, are finally “gradually improving” nearly 36 hours after being hit by a major technical problem. The issue affected the crucial Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. Specifically, the problem occurred with the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which is vital for processing flight plans and communicating messages to the ATC. This glitch caused massive disruption, stranding thousands of passengers and heavily delaying flights.
Significant Drop in Delays on Saturday
The good news is that the situation has significantly improved compared to the peak of the crisis. On Saturday, officials reported 129 flights delayed—consisting of 53 arrivals and 76 departures. This is a massive improvement when compared to the nearly 800 delays that were witnessed throughout the day on Friday. This reduction in delayed flights shows that the systems are slowly returning to normal.
Average Delays Also Shrink
Not only has the number of delayed flights dropped, but the length of the delays has also reduced significantly. The average delay for arriving flights on Saturday was reported to be just five minutes. For departing flights, the average delay was around 19 minutes. This is a stark contrast to Friday, when average departure delays hovered between 45 minutes to an hour, causing chaos and frustration for travelers.
The Root of the Problem: ATC System Failure
The technical glitch was first noticed on Thursday evening. ATC officers reported that vital flight plan data was missing from their terminals. It was quickly confirmed that the AMSS, which automatically sends flight planning messages, had failed. This failure halted the automatic flow of messages and stopped the system from sending data to the auto-track system. This forced airlines to prepare flight plans manually.
Authorities Work Diligently to Stabilize Services
The Delhi Airport management released a statement confirming that the AMSS issue is “gradually improving” and that airline operations are “returning to normal.” Both the airport operator and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) teams have been working tirelessly on priority to fully restore the systems and stabilize operations. While the situation is normalizing, some delays and congestion may continue for a short period as services transition back to routine.
IndiGo Confirms Progressive Restoration
Major airlines like IndiGo, which were severely impacted, have also confirmed the improvement. IndiGo issued an advisory stating that the temporary AMSS outage has been resolved and normal operations are being “progressively restored” at Delhi and other affected northern airports. They expressed appreciation for the efforts of the ATC and airport authorities in getting the systems back online quickly.
Safety Was Never Compromised
Despite the massive disruption to flight scheduling and planning, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) emphasized that the safety of flights was “never compromised.” According to the AAI, the technical disruption only affected the pre-departure message flow and flight plan processing. Aircraft that were already in the air or flying were not impacted by the technical issue, ensuring that air travel safety was maintained throughout the incident
