Delhi ATC To Get System Upgrade After Major Glitch

26 Nov 2025 CW Team

According to an official familiar with the development, the new Aeronautical Message Handling System (AMHS) has already been installed and is currently undergoing commissioning. The system is expected to be ready for full operation in two months. Air traffic controllers are now being trained, and the AMHS will run in parallel with the existing platform for a short transition period before fully taking over.

In the meantime, AAI has carried out emergency hardware upgrades after both the primary and backup server units collapsed due to a single-point failure on 6 November. The upgrades include new primary and secondary servers and a completely new switch.

Another official noted that although the impact on flights was contained within hours, full system recovery was completed only last week by the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). The cause of the glitch is still being investigated.

The existing Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), commissioned in 2017, relies on a common switch to feed real-time data to both primary and backup servers. When the main server failed, operations shifted to the backup, but full control could not be restored because both depended on the same switch. Standalone controls had to be reinstalled onsite to stabilise the system.

Officials said the temporary safeguards now in place ensure that the backup can operate independently, preventing a repeat of the disruption witnessed earlier this month. While system glitches are not unusual in ATC infrastructure, this was the first incident that took over 24 hours to fully resolve, prompting concerns over the nature of the failure.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu reviewed the situation at Delhi ATC on 7 November and directed that a detailed root-cause analysis be conducted to avoid future occurrences.

Days after a significant system glitch delayed more than 900 flights at Indira Gandhi International Airport, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is set to upgrade its computer systems at Delhi’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) by January next year — well ahead of the original mid-2026 timeline. According to an official familiar with the development, the new Aeronautical Message Handling System (AMHS) has already been installed and is currently undergoing commissioning. The system is expected to be ready for full operation in two months. Air traffic controllers are now being trained, and the AMHS will run in parallel with the existing platform for a short transition period before fully taking over. In the meantime, AAI has carried out emergency hardware upgrades after both the primary and backup server units collapsed due to a single-point failure on 6 November. The upgrades include new primary and secondary servers and a completely new switch. Another official noted that although the impact on flights was contained within hours, full system recovery was completed only last week by the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). The cause of the glitch is still being investigated. The existing Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), commissioned in 2017, relies on a common switch to feed real-time data to both primary and backup servers. When the main server failed, operations shifted to the backup, but full control could not be restored because both depended on the same switch. Standalone controls had to be reinstalled onsite to stabilise the system. Officials said the temporary safeguards now in place ensure that the backup can operate independently, preventing a repeat of the disruption witnessed earlier this month. While system glitches are not unusual in ATC infrastructure, this was the first incident that took over 24 hours to fully resolve, prompting concerns over the nature of the failure. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu reviewed the situation at Delhi ATC on 7 November and directed that a detailed root-cause analysis be conducted to avoid future occurrences.

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