File photo: A passenger looks at television screens showing flight schedule at T3 Terminal of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Credit: PTI photo
Due to technical problems with the air traffic control system, nearly 300 planes were delayed at the Delhi airport on Friday morning. While the authorities are attempting to resolve the problems, airlines like IndiGo, Air India, Spicejet, and Akasa Air have issued advisories to passengers.
Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the nation's capital is the busiest airport of the country and handles over 1,500 airplane operations every day.
According to reports, since Thursday night, technical difficulties have prevented air traffic controllers from receiving flight plans automatically.
They also said the issues are also causing air traffic congestion at the airport and authorities are working to fix the problems.
"Flight operations at Delhi Airport are experiencing delays due to a technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports Air Traffic Control data. Controllers are processing flight plans manually, leading to some delays. Technical teams are working to restore the system at the earliest. We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all passengers and stakeholders," said the Airports Authority of India.
With the system issues continuing, air traffic controllers are preparing the flight plans manually with available data, which is a time-consuming process and as a result, many flights are getting delayed, the sources said.
"Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays. Their team is actively working with all stakeholders including DIAL to resolve it at the earliest," wrote the Delhi Airport, releasing a statement on X.
"Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused," they added.
More than 100 flights have been delayed at the airport on Friday morning, the sources said.
Information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com showed that there is around 50 minutes delay for flight departures at the Delhi airport.
Airlines like SpiceJet and Indigo have issued advisories to passengers and said the ongoing ATC congestion at Delhi Airport may affect departures, arrivals, and connecting flights.
Akasa Air issued a travel update regarding the technical issues. "#TravelUpdate: Due to a technical issue with the ATC (Air Traffic Control) system at Delhi airport, our flight operations across the network may be impacted. This may lead to longer wait times at the airport and delays for some of our flights. While this situation is beyond our control, we sincerely regret the inconvenience to your travel plans and seek your understanding during these times," they said in a post on X.
Air India also issued an advisory to commuters on the social media platform. "#TravelAdvisory A technical issue with the ATC system in Delhi is impacting flight operations across all airlines, leading to delays and longer wait times at the airport and onboard aircraft. We regret the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption, which is beyond our control, and appreciate your patience. Our cabin crew and on-ground staff at the airport are extending immediate assistance to reduce passenger inconvenience," they wrote, as they urged passengers to check their flight status.
PTI citing sources report that there were long queues near boarding gates and hundreds of passengers were waiting inside the airport terminals for flight updates.
The sources also said air traffic controllers are unable to get flight plans automatically due to the technical issues since Thursday evening.
There are some issues with the AMSS that provides the information for the Auto Track System (AMS), which gives the flight plans, PTI reported.
With the system issues continuing, air traffic controllers are preparing the flight plans manually with available data, which is a time-consuming process and as a result, many flights are getting delayed, the sources added.