Delhi Airport issues advisory saying AMSS technical issue improving; passengers urged to check with airlines for updates

Delhi Airport issued an advisory on Saturday, stating that the technical issue affecting the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports the Air Traffic Control flight planning process, is gradually improving.


The airport said airline operations are gradually returning to normal and that all concerned authorities are working to reduce inconvenience to passengers.


Travellers have been advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates.

Earlier, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said late on Friday that the system used to generate flight plans was “up and running” more than a day after a major technical glitch caused hundreds of flight delays at Delhi Airport, one of the world’s busiest.

Airlines, including Air India Group, had warned of continued disruptions expected to spill over into Saturday. AAI said it would take some time for operations to fully stabilise due to the large backlog.

According to a source quoted by Reuters, at least 200 flights were delayed on Friday after the system began malfunctioning around 6 p.m. the previous day.

Shortly after, IndiGo, which holds about 60% of India’s domestic aviation market, confirmed that its operations in Delhi and northern India were gradually returning to normal.

The glitch had forced air traffic controllers to prepare flight plans manually, leading to major delays.

Some airlines, including Air India Express, even deputed their own personnel to assist air traffic control staff, according to another source familiar with the matter.

The incident comes shortly after a ransomware attack in September that disrupted several of Europe’s biggest airports, affecting automated systems and flight schedules.

In India, the AMSS glitch delayed around 25 departures on Thursday and more than 175 on Friday. Data from Flightradar24 indicated that the average departure delay on Friday evening was about 60 minutes.

The malfunction also affected several international carriers, an ITA Airways flight to Rome was delayed by nearly two hours, while a Virgin Atlantic flight to London faced over an hour’s delay.

Delhi Airport handled around 78 million passengers in 2024, making it the ninth busiest airport in the world, according to Airports Council International. The airport is operated primarily by GMR Airports, while air traffic control is managed by the Airports Authority of India.

Inputs from agencies