The system failure incident that happened at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Friday could possibly have been prevented, an organisation of air traffic controllers has said.
The ATC Guild of India said air traffic controllers at Delhi airport had informed about the issues and a need for upgrades to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in July. They alleged their suggestions were not acted upon.
The guild said they also wrote to MPs on July 8, following the crash of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad that killed 260, and emphasised that “it is essential that the automation systems used in air navigation services are reviewed and upgraded periodically.”
The system should be upgraded to international standards, they said.
The guild in the letter said India’s automation system should be like Europe’s Eurocontrol and the US’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They pointed out that air traffic controls in these countries have modern technology, threat identification with artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time data sharing.
The guild said they have raised these serious security issues with the AAI several times, but no concrete action has been taken on the.
The air traffic control server at Delhi airport malfunctioned on Friday. Officials said a technical glitch in the automatic message switching system (AMSS) disturbed air traffic, which in turn affected over 800 flights.
Airlines had to delay and cancel several flights. The rolling effect of the issue also reached international air traffic.
Delhi airport operator DIAL today said flight operations at the country’s busiest airport are back to normal since afternoon. However, DIAL asked passengers to stay in touch with their airlines for the latest flight updates.
Earlier in the morning, DIAL had said that the technical issue which affected flight operations was gradually improving. “Airline operations at Delhi Airport are returning to normal, and all concerned authorities are working diligently to minimise any inconvenience caused,” it said on X.
Indira Gandhi International Airport has four runways and handles more than 1,500 flights daily.
The AAI said it has addressed the “technical issue in the AMSS, which caused delays in processing flight plan messages”.