Delhi Airport Chaos: AMSS System Restored After Technical Glitch Delays Over 800 Flights, Operations Expected To Resume Soon

New Delhi: Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, one of the busiest in the world, was thrown into chaos on Friday as a technical snag crippled the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, delaying over 800 flights. The technical glitch left hundreds of passengers stranded as the airport management continued making efforts to sort out the issue and normalise air traffic movement. 

In the latest update, the Delhi Airport authority informed that the glitch was restored and the ATC system was functional, and there may be some delays in the normal functioning of the automated operations. 

The disruption, which began late Thursday, affected the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), a critical communication network that feeds data to the Auto Track System (ATS), responsible for generating flight plans for controllers. As a result, air traffic controllers were forced to manually process flight plans, leading to a heavy slowdown in operations and causing airspace congestion.

AMSS System Restored

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed that the AMSS system was restored by late Friday evening, but warned that minor delays may persist due to backlogs. "Flight operations at Delhi Airport have been disrupted due to an ongoing technical issue with the AMSS system, which supports the Air Traffic Control flight planning process," the authority said in a statement. "All airline operations at Delhi Airport are currently impacted, and concerned authorities are working on resolving the issue at the earliest."

The technical glitch had a ripple effect, impacting not only Delhi Airport but also several other airports across the country, including Mumbai, Lucknow, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Amritsar. Airlines, including IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Air India, issued advisories alerting passengers to possible delays.

"This is a major inconvenience for passengers, and we apologize for the disruption," said an Air India spokesperson. "Our crew and ground staff are working tirelessly to assist passengers and minimize the impact of the delay."

What Airport Authority Of India Updated

Update on Technical Fault at IGI Airport, New Delhi

NEW DELHI, November 7, 2025 - AAI at Indira Gandhi International Airport addressed a technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which caused delays in processing flight plan messages. The issue was detected on November 6, 2025, in the IP-based AMSS system.
Immediately, the review meeting was conducted by the Secretary, MoCA, with Chairman AAI, Member ANS, and other officials, and necessary directions were given to address the issues.

The OEM was engaged, and additional staff were deployed to manually process Flight Plans for the Air Traffic Control system to ensure uninterrupted and safe air traffic operations immediately. A team of ECIL officials and AAI personnel is still on site. The AMSS systems are up and functional now. Due to some backlogs, there may be some delays in the normal functioning of automated operations, but the situation will be normal soon. 
We regret the inconvenience caused to airlines and passengers.

Passengers Left Disappointed

As passengers waited eagerly for updates, many took to social media to express their frustration and disappointment. "I've been stuck at the airport for hours with no information," tweeted one passenger. 

Another passenger stated, "This is unacceptable."

An aviation expert explained that the system failure meant flight plans had to be entered manually instead of being automatically interpreted by the software. He stated that the manual process takes much longer time eventually leading to delays.

Glitch Affects ATIS

The glitch also affected the Automatic Terminal Information System (ATIS), which integrates meteorological data from across the country. "Even the weather updates that pilots and controllers rely on now have to be fed in manually," another passenger said.

The AAI earlier informed about the delays in flight operations at Delhi Airport due to a technical glitch in AMSS. In a post on X, AAI shared, “Flight operations at Delhi Airport are experiencing delays due to a technical issue with the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports Air Traffic Control data. Controllers are processing flight plans manually, leading to some delays. Technical teams are working to restore the system at the earliest. We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all passengers and stakeholders.”

As technicians worked to restore full functionality, officials warned that clearing the backlog would take several hours. The AAI assured passengers that efforts were underway to resolve the issue, and normalcy was expected to return soon.