Months before a significant system failure crippled operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), air traffic controllers had already flagged critical issues. The Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild of India had alerted authorities in July to ‘performance degradation’ within the nation’s air traffic automation systems. These warnings highlighted persistent slowdowns and data processing delays at major hubs like Delhi and Mumbai.
The ATC Guild communicated to the government and aviation bodies that India’s air traffic control systems lag behind international standards. They emphasized the need to align with global benchmarks such as Eurocontrol and the FAA, which incorporate advanced predictive tools, AI-driven conflict detection, and seamless real-time data sharing.
Following the glitch that caused substantial flight delays and cancellations, the Union Minister of Civil Aviation visited the Delhi Airport ATC Tower. The minister directed officials to conduct a thorough root-cause analysis and bolster system redundancy to ensure the ATC network’s future resilience. While the system is now fully restored, extensive efforts were made by AAI, ANS, and ECIL teams to resolve the issue, prioritizing passenger safety through manual coordination during the disruption.
