There was chaos at Indira Gandhi International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the country, on Friday (November 7) morning. The reason for this was a malfunction in Air Traffic Control (ATC). More than 200 flights were affected due to this technical glitch. It is noteworthy that this ATC malfunction also disrupted the Message Switching System (AMSS). For some time, it seemed as if the entire system of the airport had crashed. Delhi Airport issued an official advisory for passengers, stating that flight operations have been affected due to ATC related problems. According to the airport administration, a technical team was immediately activated to resolve the problem in the ATC system. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and other concerned agencies are working together to resolve this issue as soon as possible so that flight services can resume normally.
What is ATC malfunction and how did it fail?
AMSS stands for Automatic Message Switching System. This system provides air traffic controllers with information about each flight’s plan, route and weather on their screens. The system stopped automatically at around 3 pm. on Thursday afternoon, and then manually restored operations. Due to the system being closed, tasks which were earlier completed in 10 seconds are now being completed in 10-15 minutes.
What information did the airport provide about the ATC system?
“We regret the inconvenience and hope the problem will be resolved soon,” the airport said. Following a glitch in the ATC system, the number of passengers at the terminal increased, and many people rushed to the counters to inquire about their flight status. Some passengers also expressed concerns about their connecting flights due to delays.
