Over 200 Flights Delayed at Delhi Airport Due to System Glitch

A technical glitch in the air traffic control messaging system at Delhi Airport resulted in delays for over 200 flights on November 7, 2023. This incident, affecting one of the busiest airports globally, forced airlines to operate under manual flight planning, leading to significant disruptions in departure schedules.

According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the malfunction originated from the Automatic Message Switching System, which is crucial for generating flight plans. The issue began on the evening of November 6, prompting air traffic controllers to devise flight plans manually. As a result, many departures were delayed by more than 30 minutes, with the cascading effect likely to impact operations at other airports across India.

The glitch caused around 25 flight departures to be delayed on Thursday and over 175 on Friday, affecting various airlines, including major carriers like IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Air India. AAI reported that the average departure delay reached approximately 55 minutes, according to data from Flightradar24. The problem particularly impacted flights scheduled to take off between 06:00 and 08:00 local time.

As of the latest updates, aircraft were still landing at Delhi Airport, but take-offs faced significant disruptions. A source from one airline indicated that air traffic control had not provided an estimated time for resolving the issue. Shares of IndiGo fell by 1.5 percent following the announcement of the operational disruptions, while both SpiceJet and Air India issued warnings about potential delays.

The AAI released a statement on social media platform X, noting that technical teams were actively working to restore the system. Despite these efforts, the agency did not comment on the root cause of the malfunction. Reports from broadcaster CNN NEWS 18 suggested that authorities were investigating whether computer malware might have contributed to the technical failure.

This incident follows a notable ransomware attack in September that disrupted automated check-in systems at several major European airports, highlighting vulnerabilities in the global aviation infrastructure. The incident at Delhi Airport is particularly concerning given its significant traffic, handling approximately 78 million passengers in 2024, making it the ninth busiest airport in the world, as per data from Airports Council International.

The operator of Delhi Airport is predominantly owned by GMR Airports, while the air traffic control responsibilities lie with the AAI. As the situation continues to unfold, passengers and airlines alike are awaiting further updates on the restoration of normal services.