New Delhi: Flight operations at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport are gradually returning to normal on Saturday, November 8, 2025, after a major technical glitch disrupted air traffic on Friday. The disruption was caused by a fault in the Air Traffic Control's (ATC) Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), a critical component for flight planning.
The Delhi Airport, which handles over 1,500 flight movements daily, experienced widespread chaos as a result of the glitch. Over 800 flights were delayed, and at least 20 were canceled on Friday. Passengers faced extended waiting times at terminals and onboard aircraft. The disruption also had ripple effects at other major airports across India, including Mumbai.
Airport officials issued an advisory at 6:30 am on Saturday, stating that the technical issue affecting the AMSS was gradually improving and that airline operations were returning to normal. They urged passengers to stay in touch with their respective airlines for updated flight schedules and to allow extra travel time to the airport.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed on Friday evening that the technical snag had been resolved and that flight schedules would be restored progressively. According to AAI, the AMSS systems are now functional. While some minor delays in automated operations may continue due to backlogs, the situation is expected to normalize soon.
During the outage, air traffic controllers had to switch to manual operations, which caused significant delays. Airlines, including Air India Express, deployed staff to assist in manually preparing flight plans. Additional personnel were also deployed to manually process flight plans while the system was being restored. A combined technical team from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and the AAI remained stationed at the ATC center overnight to stabilize the system.
IndiGo, India's largest airline, issued a statement saying that the temporary AMSS outage had been fixed and that normal operations were being progressively restored at Delhi Airport. The airline advised passengers to check their website for the latest flight status and assured them that teams were on the ground assisting customers with updated schedules and real-time information.
The disruption began late on Thursday, impacting the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), the key network that supplies data to the Auto Track System (ATS) used for generating flight plans. The Civil Aviation Secretary held a review meeting with AAI officials and issued immediate directions to address the issue.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) handles more than 1,500 flight movements daily and serves as a key aviation hub for India and South Asia. While normalcy has largely been restored, officials have warned that minor residual delays could continue as airlines clear operational backlogs over the weekend. Passengers are again advised to check with their respective airlines for the most up-to-date information regarding their flights.
