Chaos erupted at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Friday after a major technical glitch in the air traffic control (ATC) system delayed more than 800 domestic and international flights, according to airport sources.
Long queues formed near boarding gates, and hundreds of passengers were stranded inside terminals waiting for flight updates. The malfunction prevented air traffic controllers from automatically receiving flight plans, disrupting the movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air.
Delhi airport, India’s busiest and among the world’s largest aviation hubs, handles over 1,500 flight movements a day. Airlines cancelled at least 20 flights following the disruption. IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air all reported delays linked to the ATC issue.
The glitch, which caused congestion and delayed both departures and arrivals, was traced to the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Late Friday evening, the AAI said the problem had been resolved and that the system was “up and functional now.”
Sources said the ATC system had been experiencing intermittent issues for the past two days, with Friday’s malfunction beginning around 5:45 a.m. and significantly affecting operations throughout the day.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the airport operator, posted on X earlier in the day: “All airline operations at Delhi Airport are currently delayed. Authorities concerned are working on resolving the issue at the earliest.”
Shares of IndiGo fell 2 per cent and SpiceJet declined 1 per cent on Friday, as airlines warned of delays and potential higher costs related to refunds and passenger care. The disruption also affected several international carriers operating from Delhi.
The incident comes weeks after a ransomware attack in September disrupted automated systems and flight schedules at several major European airports.
In a separate development, airlines in the United States were forced to cancel about 4 per cent of flights across 40 major airports on Friday after the government ordered reductions in air traffic due to safety concerns linked to a record-setting shutdown. Around 700 flights from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines were affected, with cuts expected to rise to 6 per cent by Tuesday and 10 per cent by November 14 if the shutdown continues.