Key Highlights:
- Delhi Airport flight operations gradually normalize after Automatic Message Switching System failure delayed over 800 flights on November 7, 2025
- Air Traffic Control system glitch forced manual processing of flight plans, reducing capacity at India’s busiest airport handling 1,500 daily movements
- Saturday shows significant improvement with only 129 flight delays compared to nearly 800 delays witnessed during peak disruption on Friday
Opening Overview
Delhi Airport flight operations are showing signs of recovery nearly 36 hours after a catastrophic technical failure crippled the Automatic Message Switching System, bringing one of Asia’s busiest aviation hubs to a near standstill. The crisis at Indira Gandhi International Airport began Thursday evening when air traffic controllers discovered their screens were no longer receiving automated flight plan data, forcing an immediate switch to manual procedures that would delay over 800 flights and cancel 20 more by Friday evening.
According to Flightradar24 data, Delhi Airport flight operations on Saturday registered 129 delays, including 53 arrivals and 76 departures, with average delays dropping to just five minutes for arrivals and 19 minutes for departures. The Airports Authority of India confirmed the IP-based AMSS system has been restored, though officials warn some operational backlogs may persist as Delhi Airport flight operations transition back to full automation. This technical crisis exposed the vulnerability of modern aviation infrastructure, where a single system failure can cascade across an entire network handling approximately 1,500 aircraft movements daily and processing over 100 million passengers annually.
#BREAKING
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) November 7, 2025
Air traffic system now “up and functional” after major glitch
800 flights delayed across India
The disruption comes on the heels of a week-long GPS spoofing scare reported over Delhi airspace
Was it a coincidence or a deliberate attempt to sabotage aviation… pic.twitter.com/rhij2Ke8ZP
Technical Breakdown of AMSS Failure
- AMSS serves as the backbone for real-time flight plan data transmission to air traffic controllers’ screens
- System failure eliminated automated processing for routing, fuel calculations, altitude assignments, and weather parameters
- Manual processing increased flight plan preparation time from seconds to several minutes per aircraft
The Automatic Message Switching System failure at Delhi Airport flight operations represented an unprecedented disruption to India’s most critical aviation infrastructure. The AMSS, an IP-based network system, automatically transmits flight plan data covering aircraft movement both in the air and on runways, along with real-time weather updates directly to air traffic controllers’ terminals. When the system crashed Thursday evening, controllers at Delhi Airport flight operations immediately lost access to automated feeds that typically process routing information, fuel requirements, altitude assignments, and meteorological conditions for every scheduled flight.
Sources confirmed that air traffic officers first noticed missing flight plan data on their screens around Thursday evening, and within minutes realized the entire AMSS infrastructure had failed, halting the automatic message flow that processes hundreds of flights hourly. The system also stopped sending data to the Auto Track System, which allows controllers to monitor aircraft routes, altitudes, and timing with precision during Delhi Airport flight operations. With automation eliminated, airlines and controllers were forced to prepare each flight plan manually, a laborious process requiring detailed calculations and voice coordination that cannot match the speed or efficiency of automated systems.
Operational Impact and Response
- Over 800 flights delayed and 20 cancelled during peak disruption on Friday, November 7
- Ministry of Civil Aviation Secretary convened emergency review with AAI Chairman and senior officials
- Electronics Corporation of India Limited deployed technical teams alongside additional AAI personnel for manual processing
Delhi Airport flight operations experienced catastrophic delays as the AMSS failure rippled through India’s busiest aviation facility, which typically manages 1,500 aircraft movements daily and processes up to 70 flights per hour during peak periods. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 documented over 800 delays at Delhi Airport flight operations by Friday evening, with departure delays averaging 50 minutes and arrivals similarly affected due to limited parking bays and severe airspace congestion. The disruption also impacted interconnected airports across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune due to shared data networks, demonstrating the cascading effect of technical failures at major hubs.
Upon detecting the glitch in the IP-based AMSS system on November 6, Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha immediately convened an emergency review meeting with AAI Chairman Vipin Kumar, Member Air Navigation Services M. Suresh, and other senior officials to issue urgent directives. The Airports Authority of India deployed additional manpower to manually process flight plans while engaging the Original Equipment Manufacturer and dispatching a specialized team from Electronics Corporation of India Limited to the site. Airlines including IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air all reported significant disruptions to their Delhi Airport flight operations, issuing advisories to passengers about expected delays and terminal congestion.
Passenger Experience and Infrastructure Stress
- Serpentine queues formed at Delhi Airport as thousands of passengers waited hours for delayed flights
- Airport handles annual capacity of 109 million passengers across three operational terminals
- Industry sources estimate financial losses exceeding ₹100 crore from operational disruptions
Chaos erupted at Delhi Airport flight operations as thousands of passengers found themselves stranded in serpentine queues that stretched across terminals, with many reporting wait times exceeding several hours as departure boards displayed repeated delays. Social media platforms filled with passenger complaints about being held on aircraft for extended periods before takeoff, while others described confusion at boarding gates where flight information changed constantly throughout the crisis. The disruption placed extraordinary stress on infrastructure at Indira Gandhi International Airport, which joined the exclusive global 100-million-plus club in 2023 with an annual passenger-handling capacity of 109 million, making it the only airport in Asia besides Tokyo Haneda in this elite category.
Industry operators reported estimated financial losses exceeding ₹100 crore from the operational disruptions affecting Delhi Airport flight operations, including costs from cancelled flights, passenger compensation, crew repositioning, and lost productivity. The crisis occurred as Delhi International Airport Limited was implementing expansion plans to increase capacity from 105 million to 125 million passengers annually by 2029-30 through targeted terminal upgrades and additional aircraft parking stands. Despite the severe operational challenges, the Airports Authority of India emphasized that flight safety was never compromised, noting that aircraft already airborne experienced no impact and the disruption affected only pre-departure message flow and flight plan processing at Delhi Airport flight operations.
Recovery Timeline and System Restoration
- AMSS system restored and functional by Saturday morning, November 8
- Delay statistics improved dramatically from 800 Friday disruptions to 129 Saturday delays
- AAI initiates formal inquiry to determine root cause and prevent future occurrences
Delhi Airport flight operations began normalizing Saturday morning as the Airports Authority of India confirmed the Automatic Message Switching System had been fully restored and was functioning properly. By 11:55 hours on November 8, the airport authority issued an advisory stating that airline operations were returning to normal, with all concerned authorities working diligently to minimize passenger inconvenience during the transition period. Flight tracking data revealed the dramatic improvement in Delhi Airport flight operations, with only 129 delays recorded Saturday compared to the nearly 800 delays that paralyzed the facility Friday, representing an 84% reduction in disrupted flights.
Average delay times dropped significantly, with arrivals experiencing just five-minute delays and departures averaging 19 minutes, compared to the 45-60 minute delays that characterized Friday’s operations. IndiGo Airlines issued an updated advisory confirming that the temporary AMSS system outage affecting Air Traffic Control had been resolved and normal operations were being progressively restored at Delhi Airport flight operations and other impacted airports in the northern region.
The airline acknowledged that some delays and terminal-side congestion would continue temporarily as the system stabilized, thanking passengers for their patience during the transition back to normalcy. The AAI announced plans to conduct a formal inquiry to determine the exact cause of the malfunction and implement measures to prevent similar disruptions to Delhi Airport flight operations in the future.
Closing Assessment
The AMSS technical failure at Delhi Airport flight operations exposed critical vulnerabilities in India’s aviation infrastructure, demonstrating how a single system breakdown can paralyze operations at a facility processing 1,500 daily aircraft movements and serving over 100 million annual passengers. While the Airports Authority of India successfully restored the system within 36 hours and deployed emergency manual procedures that maintained safety standards, the incident delayed over 800 flights, cancelled 20 services, and caused estimated financial losses exceeding ₹100 crore across the aviation sector.
The dramatic recovery evident in Saturday’s statistics, showing only 129 delays compared to Friday’s 800 disruptions, reflects the resilience of India’s civil aviation authorities and their ability to mobilize technical resources rapidly during crises. As Delhi Airport flight operations transition back to full automation, the scheduled inquiry into the root cause will prove crucial for implementing redundancy measures and backup systems to prevent future catastrophic failures at this strategic aviation hub. The crisis serves as a stark reminder that as India’s aviation sector continues expanding capacity to accommodate projected growth reaching 125 million annual passengers by 2029-30, investments in robust, fail-safe technology infrastructure must parallel physical expansion to ensure uninterrupted Delhi Airport flight operations.
