A busy Friday morning turned chaotic at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport as over 100 flights were delayed due to a technical problem in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. Airport authorities said they are working to fix the issue and apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers.

In a passenger advisory, the airport 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."

Passengers have been asked to stay in touch with their airlines to check for updated schedules.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) explained that the delays are linked to a fault in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports ATC data. Because of the issue, controllers are currently handling flight plans manually, causing slower operations.

AAI said technical teams are trying to restore the system quickly.

Airlines issue travel advisories

Air India said passengers may face longer waiting times both at the airport and inside the aircraft. The airline shared, "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."

The airline added that its staff is assisting passengers to reduce discomfort.

Budget airlines SpiceJet and IndiGo also confirmed that flights across Delhi and other northern regions are affected. Teams on the ground are working with the airport to resume normal schedules as soon as possible.

IndiGo said, "We understand that extended wait times, both on the ground and onboard, may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely appreciate your patience."

Sources said that a similar server issue caused delays to around 20 flights from Delhi on Thursday evening, though that problem was resolved later.

The Delhi airport handles around 1,550 flight movements daily, making it India’s busiest airport. In the past week, flight operations have already been hit by suspected GPS spoofing incidents, which affect aircraft navigation systems and cause flight diversions and congestion.

GPS spoofing sends fake signals to mislead aircraft about their location or route. Last month, a flight from Vienna to Delhi had to divert to Dubai because of such signals.