Mumbai: Over 700 flights were affected across India on Friday after a technical fault in the Air Traffic Control system at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport caused chaos.
After hundreds of flights were delayed due to a technical issue impacting the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) at IGI Airport, it started impacting Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Varanasi and other international airports as well.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai issued an advisory, saying that flight operations have been affected due to a technical issue impacting the AMSS at Delhi, and warned of flight delays.
“Flight Operations at Mumbai Airport have been affected by a technical issue impacting the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) at Delhi, which supports Air Traffic Control flight planning. The concerned authorities are actively working to resolve the issue at the earliest,” the Mumbai Airport advisory stated.
“As a result, airline operations may experience delays. Passengers are advised to connect with their respective airlines for updates on flight status and revised schedules. We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and cooperation.”
All major airlines, including IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, said their services were affected, leading to long queues and slower operations.
At least 15 flights have been delayed at Jaipur International Airport. Passengers at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport faced similar problems.
The Lucknow Airport issued an advisory urging passengers to connect with their respective airlines for updates on flight status and revised schedules. “We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and cooperation.”