Air Traffic Control Glitch Disrupts Over 300 Flights at Delhi Airport

Bassyonni

ago 2 hours

Air Traffic Control Glitch Disrupts Over 300 Flights at Delhi Airport

A significant disruption occurred at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi, impacting over 300 flights. This chaos stemmed from a technical issue with the airport’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed this was linked to problems in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), essential for ATC data management.

Flight Disruptions and Impact

Passengers experienced long waits both at the airport and on aircraft due to the manual processing of flight plans. AAI officials stated that technical teams were quickly addressing the issue to restore normal operations.

Over 300 flights delayed
Flights affected across all airlines
Longer wait times reported

Airlines Respond

Airlines, including Air India, SpiceJet, and IndiGo, urged travelers to check their flight statuses before arriving at the airport. Air India issued an advisory acknowledging the delays and thanking passengers for their patience during this unforeseen disruption.

SpiceJet and IndiGo assured passengers that their teams were working diligently with airport authorities to mitigate the impact and resume normal operations promptly. Both airlines recognized the inconvenience caused and appreciated passenger understanding during this period.

Previous Disruptions

This incident followed earlier disruptions at the airport, including delays due to a server outage affecting at least 20 flights the previous evening. Additionally, recent weeks had seen challenges attributed to suspected GPS spoofing incidents, which had complicated flight navigations and caused air traffic congestion.

Understanding GPS Spoofing

GPS spoofing involves sending counterfeit satellite signals that mislead navigation systems, causing aircraft to receive false position or altitude information. This differs from GPS jamming, which simply blocks signals. Recent incidents have raised concerns, impacting international flights beyond conflict zones.

In previous cases, such as a flight from Vienna to Delhi that was diverted to Dubai, the consequences of GPS interference have become increasingly evident. The IGIA, handling about 1,550 flights daily, remains crucial for air travel in India.