ASIATODAY.ID, NEW DELHI – Major chaos erupted across international aviation after a serious technical failure crippled the air traffic control messaging system, leaving hundreds of flights grounded and thousands of passengers stranded at New Delhi International Airport — one of the busiest hubs in the world.
More than 200 flights were delayed following a breakdown in the Automatic Message Switching system, a critical component used to generate and transmit flight plans. The malfunction forced air traffic controllers to revert to manual procedures, triggering widespread disruption and massive delays.
“This failure forced controllers to manually prepare flight plans, leading to a cascading effect across the entire network,” an official from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) told November 7, 2025.
The system outage began late Thursday and worsened into Friday morning, affecting flight schedules throughout the day. Data from Flightradar24 showed average departure delays of 55 minutes, with flights scheduled between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. local time hit hardest.
International routes were also severely affected. ITA Airways’ flight to Rome was delayed nearly two hours, while Virgin Atlantic’s service to London was held up for over an hour.
Delhi Airport — ranked the ninth busiest in the world, handling around 78 million passengers in 2024 — is now under intense pressure as its operator, GMR Airports, and the AAI race to restore normal operations and ease the mounting congestion on runways.
The disruption has spilled over into the financial markets. Shares of India’s largest airline, IndiGo, dropped 1.5%, after the company confirmed operational disruptions. Other carriers, including SpiceJet and Air India, also issued warnings of potential schedule impacts.
Adding to concerns, local media reported that authorities are investigating whether malware or a cyberattack might be behind the technical breakdown — especially since the incident follows a major ransomware attack that crippled automated check-in systems at several major European airports just two months ago.
If confirmed as a cyber incident, experts warn this could serve as a global wake-up call for aviation cybersecurity, particularly in Southeast Asia, where integrated air traffic systems are increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure. (AT Network)
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