Delay in all departures at Delhi airport due to technical glitch

There has been a delay in all departures at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi due to a technical glitch. Ministry of Civil Aviation sources told Business Today that there has been a delay in all departures due to a glitch in the ATC software. They are trying to manage the operations manually, the sources said.

According to FlightRadar, there is a delay of 50 minutes on an average.

Delhi Airport issued a statement: "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 are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused."

SpiceJet has also issued a statement regarding the delays, indicating that arrivals could be impacted as well due to the ATC congestion.

The Delhi airport is the busiest in the country, and handles about 1,300 flight movements daily.

Separately, as winter approaches, landing and take-off of flights are likely to be impacted due to low visibility. On Tuesday itself, eight flights were diverted in the evening due to easterly winds, an official said. The affected flights belonged to IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express and were redirected to Jaipur. The official explained that a change in wind direction and easterly winds made it unsafe for the flights to land at Delhi. The diversions occurred between 1800 hours and 2000 hours.

IndiGo acknowledged the impact on flight operations due to air traffic congestion at Delhi. In a post on X at 2011 hours, the airline said it understood the inconvenience caused by extended wait times on the ground and onboard and thanked passengers for their patience.