Major AMSS system failure hits Indian airports; over 400 flights delayed in Delhi, widespread disruptions reported across major cities. Photo: X.
If you’ve been watching the departure boards at Delhi Airport over the past 36 hours, you might have felt like you were stuck in a real-life game of “Will My Flight Take Off?”
Flight operations at one of India’s busiest airports are finally “gradually improving” after a major technical glitch brought the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system to its knees. Officials say 129 flights (53 arrivals and 76 departures) were delayed on Saturday, far fewer than the nearly 800 that suffered the same fate on Friday.
And here’s a tiny relief for anxious travelers: according to Flightradar24, the average delay is just five minutes for arrivals and about 19 minutes for departures. So, while your patience may have been tested, the skies are slowly clearing up.
Delhi Airport issued a statement saying,
“The technical issue which affected the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports the ATC flight planning process, is gradually improving. Airline operations at Delhi Airport are returning to normal, and all concerned authorities are working diligently to minimise any inconvenience caused. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their airlines for the latest flight updates.”
IndiGo Airlines, among other major carriers affected by the outage, also issued an advisory stating that flight operations are “progressively” being restored.
“We are pleased to share that the temporary AMSS system outage affecting ATC has now been resolved, and normal operations are being progressively restored at Delhi Airport and other impacted airports in the northern region. As flight operations stabilise, delays and terminal-side congestion may continue for some time, and we thank passengers for bearing with us during this transition.”
The airline further added that airport operator and ATC teams are prioritizing full restoration of systems, with normal operations expected within the next few hours.
Thursday Night Chaos: Over 500 flights faced delays at IGI Airport.
Friday Frenzy: Nearly 800 flights were affected as the glitch continued.
Lengthy Delays: Average departure delays ranged from 45 minutes to an hour; arrivals were also held up due to limited parking bays and airspace congestion.
Stranded Passengers: Thousands were left waiting, with some stuck on board aircraft for extended periods before take-off.
The Root Cause: ATC officers noticed missing flight plan data on their terminals on Thursday evening.
Manual Backup: The AMSS system failure halted automatic message flow, forcing airlines to prepare flight plans manually.
Aishwarya is a journalism graduate with over three years of experience thriving in the buzzing corporate media world. She’s got a knack for decoding business news, tracking the twists and turns of the stock market, covering the masala of the entertainment world, and sometimes her stories come with just the right sprinkle of political commentary. She has worked with several organizations, interned at ZEE and gained professional skills at TV9 and News24, And now is learning and writing at NewsX, she’s no stranger to the newsroom hustle. Her storytelling style is fast-paced, creative, and perfectly tailored to connect with both the platform and its audience. Moto: Approaching every story from the reader’s point of view, backing up her insights with solid facts.
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