Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) were disrupted on Friday morning after a technical malfunction hit the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, causing widespread delays across several airlines.
More than 60 departures delayed
According to real-time data from flight tracking platform Flightradar24, more than 60 departures since 5 a.m. were delayed, while incoming flights continued to land without major interruptions.
The glitch led to cascading delays across domestic and international routes, affecting passenger schedules during the busy morning hours.
ATC system sluggish since Thursday
Airport sources said the Airport Authority of India (AAI)’s ATC system had been experiencing technical sluggishness since Thursday evening (November 6), resulting in at least 25 flight delays that night.
“System performance slowed down intermittently, and our technical teams have been working to stabilise the network since last evening,” an official source said.
Impact on one of the world’s busiest airports
The Delhi airport, India’s busiest aviation hub, handles over 60 aircraft movements every hour — translating to roughly 1,500 arrivals and departures daily. Even a brief disruption in ATC operations can ripple through the flight network nationwide.
Passengers reported long waiting times at boarding gates and check-in counters on Friday morning, with airlines citing “technical issues in ATC” as the reason for delays.
Restoration work underway
AAI officials said efforts are underway to fully restore normal operations. Backup systems were activated to manage aircraft movements, and no safety incidents were reported during the disruption.
As of mid-morning, departures were gradually being rescheduled, though airlines cautioned passengers to check flight status updates before heading to the airport.