Key Highlights
- Over 400 flights experienced delays at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport following an Automatic Message Switching System failure that began Thursday evening
- Air traffic controllers manually processed flight plans for over 1,500 daily movements, causing departure delays averaging 50-53 minutes across airlines
- The technical disruption compounds recent GPS spoofing incidents that forced multiple diversions and created unprecedented operational challenges at India’s busiest aviation hub
Opening Overview
A critical technical failure paralyzed operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Friday morning, plunging India’s busiest aviation hub into chaos as air traffic controllers scrambled to manually process hundreds of flight plans. The Delhi airport flight disruption began when the Automatic Message Switching System crashed Thursday evening at 3 PM, forcing controllers to abandon automated processes and revert to time-consuming manual operations that severely impacted the airport’s ability to handle its typical workload of over 1,500 daily flight movements.
The airport technical glitch affected not only departures and arrivals at the national capital but triggered cascading delays across northern India as airlines struggled to maintain schedules. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 revealed the scale of the Delhi airport flight delays, with 313 departures and 118 arrivals experiencing significant disruptions by mid-morning Friday. The Airports Authority of India acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating that technical teams were working urgently to restore the system while controllers continued processing flight plans manually. This airport ATC failure represents one of the most significant operational disruptions in recent memory, affecting passengers across multiple airlines and highlighting the aviation sector’s heavy dependence on automated coordination systems.
The @DelhiAirport has come to a standstill with the ATC software issues. Here are about 100 aircraft waiting to take off. pic.twitter.com/EEbUPXZUA5
— Ajay Awtaney (@LiveFromALounge) November 7, 2025
Understanding the Technical Failure
The Delhi airport technical glitch originated in the Automatic Message Switching System, a critical infrastructure component that automatically transmits flight plan data to air traffic controllers’ display screens. When the AMSS crashed, controllers lost immediate access to automated flight information and were forced to manually compile flight plans using available data sources, a process that significantly reduced operational efficiency at the airport.
Aviation officials confirmed that such a technical failure at Delhi airport was uncommon and had not occurred previously, adding to the complexity of managing the crisis. The AMSS feeds crucial flight plan data to the Auto Track System, which generates automated flight plans for controllers. Without this automated feed, each task before flight departure required manual intervention, creating what sources described as “chaos at Delhi ATC currently.”
Key operational impacts of the airport technical glitch included:
- Manual processing reduced the number of flights controllers could handle per hour, creating bottlenecks at the Delhi airport departure gates
- Controllers manually entered flight details using backup systems, a slow and cumbersome process that extended ground times significantly
- The Delhi airport experienced severe airspace congestion as aircraft queued for manual clearances from air traffic control
The Airports Authority of India issued statements explaining that flight operations at Delhi airport were experiencing delays due to the technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System, which supports Air Traffic Control data. Technical teams worked throughout the night and into Friday morning attempting to restore the system, though officials provided no specific timeline for when normal Delhi airport operations would resume. The Delhi airport disruption forced airlines to issue passenger advisories warning of extended wait times both at airport terminals and onboard aircraft.
Impact on Airlines and Passengers
The Delhi airport flight delays created significant operational challenges for all carriers, with budget and full-service airlines alike issuing urgent travel advisories to passengers. Air India acknowledged that the technical issue with the ATC system at airport was impacting flight operations across all airlines, leading to delays and longer wait times at the airport and onboard aircraft. The carrier expressed regret for the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption, which it characterized as beyond airline control. IndiGo, India’s largest domestic carrier, confirmed that flight operations at Delhi airport and several northern regions were impacted due to the disruption, with the airline’s crew and ground teams working closely with airport authorities to minimize impact.
SpiceJet issued similar advisories stating that flights across airport and northern regions faced delays, while its teams coordinated with airport authorities to resume normal operations as quickly as possible. Akasa Air also reported extended delays affecting its Delhi airport schedule. Industry data revealed the true scale of the airport flight disruption:
| Metric | Thursday | Friday Morning |
|---|---|---|
| Delayed flights (total) | 513 | 431 (313 departures, 118 arrivals) |
| Average departure delay | Not specified | 50-53 minutes |
| Daily flight movements (typical) | 1,500+ | Significantly reduced |
Passengers faced extended wait times at Delhi airport terminals as airlines struggled to provide accurate departure information. The Delhi airport chaos particularly affected morning departures, when flight volumes are typically highest, creating crowded terminal conditions and frustrated travelers. Airlines requested that passengers check their airport flight status before heading to terminals, though the rapidly evolving situation made accurate predictions difficult. The airport disruption also affected connecting passengers transiting through the hub, with potential ripple effects on international connections.
Compounding Factors and Recent Challenges
The Delhi airport technical glitch occurred against a backdrop of existing operational challenges that had already strained the airport’s capacity throughout the preceding week. Delhi airport had faced unprecedented GPS spoofing incidents that interfered with aircraft navigation systems and forced multiple flight diversions, creating what aviation experts described as the first-ever instances of such interference at the facility. These GPS spoofing events at Delhi airport affected navigation systems up to 60 nautical miles from the airport, resulting in severe operational hurdles particularly during easterly wind conditions. Seven flights, including five IndiGo and two Air India services, were forced to divert to Jaipur due to inaccurate GPS readings caused by the spoofing at Delhi airport.
The spoofed signals corrupted the Required Navigation Performance system, a GPS-based landing technology that enables precision approaches at Delhi airport. Aircraft approaching Runway 10/28, heavily used during winter operations at Delhi airport, were particularly affected by the GPS interference. Pilots reported wrong positional data during approaches and were advised to rely on ground-based navigation aids instead of GPS when operating into Delhi airport. The airport’s Automatic Terminal Information Service began broadcasting alerts advising pilots to remain cautious when entering Delhi airport airspace and use alternate navigation systems wherever possible.
Similar server outages had occurred at Delhi airport just Thursday evening, forcing approximately 20 flights to experience delays before the issue was temporarily rectified. Aviation security experts noted that GPS spoofing incidents, historically concentrated in conflict zones, have become a growing menace for international flights globally. A Vienna-to-Delhi flight was diverted to Dubai in October due to spoofed signals, demonstrating the international scope of navigation interference affecting Delhi airport operations.
Operational Significance and Recovery
The Indira Gandhi International Airport serves as India’s premier aviation gateway, handling more than 1,500 flight movements daily and positioning itself as a critical hub connecting Eastern and Western air traffic corridors. Recent data from Delhi International Airport Limited revealed that between September 2024 and August 2025, Delhi airport handled over 670,000 transit passengers traveling between Asia and Europe, representing a 34 percent increase from the previous year’s 498,000 passengers. This growth reflects Delhi airport’s expanding role as a transfer point for international traffic, traditionally dominated by Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.
Air India carried approximately two-thirds of total East-West transit passengers through Delhi airport, while IndiGo accounted for another quarter, according to International Air Transport Association data. Together, these carriers handle over 90 percent of total passenger traffic through Delhi airport, with Delhi International Airport Limited collaborating closely with both to strengthen East-West hub connectivity. Monthly passenger volumes at Delhi airport reached 7,065,720 passengers in December 2024, underscoring the facility’s critical importance to India’s aviation infrastructure.
The Delhi airport technical glitch underscored the heavy dependency of modern aviation systems on automated coordination tools, with a single point of failure bringing extensive network operations to a halt. The Automatic Message Switching System represents critical infrastructure whose failure forces airports to resort to manual processes that severely impact efficiency and safety. Aviation experts emphasized that while the Delhi airport AMSS glitch was temporary, it served as a stark reminder of vulnerability in aviation automation systems. The Delhi airport recovery effort involved technical teams working across multiple systems to restore automated flight plan generation capabilities.
Airport authorities coordinated with the Airports Authority of India, Delhi International Airport Limited, and airline stakeholders to manage the Delhi airport crisis and minimize passenger inconvenience. The Delhi airport situation demonstrated the importance of backup systems and manual procedures that controllers implemented to maintain safety while processing reduced flight volumes. As restoration efforts continued Friday, the Delhi airport incident highlighted systemic challenges facing India’s busiest aviation hub as it manages rapid growth while maintaining operational reliability.
Closing Assessment
The Delhi airport technical glitch that paralyzed operations Friday morning exposed critical vulnerabilities in aviation infrastructure at India’s busiest hub, where over 400 delayed flights and extended manual processing created cascading disruptions across northern India. The Automatic Message Switching System failure at Delhi airport, compounded by recent GPS spoofing incidents, revealed the fragility of automated systems upon which modern aviation depends for safe and efficient operations.
While technical teams worked urgently to restore the system, the Delhi airport crisis served as a stark reminder that even sophisticated aviation hubs remain vulnerable to single points of failure that can bring extensive networks to a standstill. As Delhi airport continues expanding its role as a major international transit hub handling over 670,000 East-West passengers annually, the facility must enhance system redundancy and backup capabilities to prevent similar disruptions from undermining its growing operational significance. The Delhi airport incident ultimately demonstrated that as aviation infrastructure becomes increasingly automated and interconnected, the industry must balance efficiency gains with robust contingency planning to maintain passenger confidence and operational continuity during technical failures.
