According to Flightradar 24, a website that tracks flights, 129 flights have been delayed at the Delhi Airport on Saturday (Nov 8). Photo: X screengrab | @ANI
Delhi airport operations 'returning to normal' after ATC snag
Technical issue with Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that delayed about 800 flights is improving; passengers advised to check with airlines for flight updates
The Delhi airport in a statement on Saturday morning (November 8) said airline operations are returning to normal and advised passengers to stay in touch with their airlines for the latest flight update.
Almost 36 hours after a major technical snag affected the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system at the Delhi airport that led to nearly 800 flights being delayed on Friday (November 7), the operations at the airport are gradually improving.
According to Flightradar 24, a website that tracks flights, 129 flights have been delayed at the Delhi Airport on Saturday (76 departures and 53 arrivals).
News reports say that the average delay for departures currently is about 19 minutes and around five minutes for arrivals.
Delhi Airport’s statement
The Delhi Airport issued a passenger advisory at 6.36 am on Saturday.
The advisory said, “The technical issue which affected the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that supports the Air Traffic Control flight planning process is gradually improving.”
Also Read: Major ATC glitch paralyses Delhi airport, over 500 flights delayed across airlines
“Airline operations at Delhi Airport are returning to normal, and all concerned authorities are working diligently to minimise any inconvenience caused.” continued the post on X.
“Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their airlines for latest flight update,” concluded the tweet.
Chaos at airport on Friday
The Delhi airport witnessed chaotic scenes on Friday as thousands of passengers were stranded, with many of them waiting for several hours for their flights to depart.
Several passengers posted on social media that they had to wait for a long time for takeoff after boarding their aircraft.
Flight arrivals were delayed due to limited parking bays and airspace congestion.
The airport witnessed over 500 flight delays on Thursday night (November 6), and by the next day, almost 800 flights were delayed.
Also Read: Delhi airport's air traffic control faces technical snag; over 100 flights delayed
The problem was first noticed on Thursday evening when ATC officials reported missing flight plan data on their terminals. They realised that the AMSS had failed, leading to a halt in the flow of automatic messages.
They had to resort to manual planning of flights.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI), however, assured the public that the safety of flights was never compromised.