K Rammohan Naidu Directs Root Cause Analysis of Delhi Airport's ATC Glitch for Future Improvements

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport faced significant disruptions due to a technical fault in the air traffic control system. This issue, linked to the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), led to delays for over 800 flights and the cancellation of 46 flights on Friday. The airport, which is India's busiest, manages over 1,500 flight movements daily.

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By the afternoon of November 8, the system was restored to automatic mode. This was achieved through coordinated efforts by ECIL engineers, ATC personnel, and proactive monitoring by the ministry. The civil aviation ministry confirmed that no flights were cancelled due to this issue on Saturday.

Technical Glitch Analysis and Solutions

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has instructed officials to conduct a comprehensive root-cause analysis of the glitch. This analysis aims to prevent similar issues in the future. Additionally, Naidu has called for system advancements, including backup servers, to enhance ATC operations.

The technical problem with AMSS began on November 6 and persisted into November 7. Teams from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Air Navigation Services (ANS), and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) worked tirelessly to identify and fix the problem.

Ministerial Oversight and Future Plans

Naidu visited the ATC tower at Delhi airport on both Friday and Saturday. During these visits, he emphasized the importance of understanding the root causes of such glitches. He also stressed the need for additional or fallback servers to bolster ATC operations.

The systems involved are provided by Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL). The ministry's statement highlighted that ECIL promptly deployed extra manpower to aid in restoring the system.

The swift restoration was possible due to the concerted efforts of various teams working round the clock. This collaboration ensured that normal operations resumed without further cancellations.

Efforts are ongoing to ensure that such disruptions do not occur again. The ministry is focused on implementing measures that will strengthen air traffic control systems across the country.

With inputs from PTI