'210 Aircraft In Waiting Queue For Departure': Mumbai Flyers Fume As Delhi ATC Glitch Triggers Hours of Delays, Cancellations

Mumbai, November 7: A major air traffic disruption left hundreds of passengers stranded at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Friday after Delhi’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) system suffered a technical failure. The glitch in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports flight data transmission, caused massive delays and cancellations across India’s busiest air corridor, Mumbai to Delhi.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed that the AMSS malfunction led to partial manual operations, resulting in cascading effects on flight schedules across major airports, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune.

Top carriers like IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet reported severe delays, overcrowded terminals, and long queues at check-in counters. While no mass cancellations were announced, airline staff struggled to manage growing passenger frustration.

“Chaos at the Terminal” - Flyers Vent on Social Media

By late morning, it was reported that over 200 flights delayed and dozens were cancelled. One flyer posted on X: “210 aircraft in waiting queue for departure. If you are flying out, accept long delays. If elderly parents travelling, better to reschedule.”

Many were stuck on the tarmac for over 90 minutes in an Air India Express aircraft waiting for clearance.

Mumbai flyer Dheeraj, whose Air India flight AI1895 was scheduled for 9:30 pm, said, “I was flying to Delhi tonight but it was cancelled abruptly by AIr India. The flight was booked on MakeMyTrip and they passed the buck saying coordinate with the airline. After a lot of persuasion, they assured to put me on the prior/next flight. However, there is no clarity or official confirmation yet from their end.”

Another frustrated flyer posted on X," I am a platinum member and was waiting here for the Mumbai flight and due to mismanagement of the ground staff I missed my flight. New Delhi to mumbai AI 1785 seat 2A , pl refund my fare."

Elvish Yadav Joins the Queue of Angry Flyers

Adding to the wave of online outrage, YouTuber Elvish Yadav, who was on IndiGo flight 6E615 (Mumbai–Delhi), posted on X:

“Frustrating experience with IndiGo Airlines! Flight 6E0615 was supposed to depart at 1 pm, but now it’s delayed again and departing at 3:35 pm! Such poor management and lack of respect for passengers’ time!”

Airlines Issue Travel Advisories

In a statement, Air India said, “The AMSS system issue impacting ATC operations is still being resolved, and delays may continue across airlines at Delhi and a few airports in the northern region until the system is fully restored.”

It advised passengers to check flight status before travelling and to arrive early to allow extra time for formalities. IndiGo issued a similar advisory, assuring passengers that its ground staff were assisting travellers at counters and boarding gates.

AAI Working to Restore System

The AAI later confirmed that the issue was being “gradually resolved,” but the system was still functioning manually in parts. Officials said the disruption, though temporary, caused “excessive delays” and backlogs at key airports.

With Mumbai being one of the busiest hubs for Delhi-bound flights, the city witnessed some of the worst ripple effects, from delayed connections to rescheduled departures, leaving passengers exasperated as airlines scrambled to restore normalcy.