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Delhi airport air traffic system restored after 800 flight delays: ‘Up and functional’
A technical issue was detected with the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that supports the ATC flight planning process.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced on Friday that its air traffic control messaging system at Delhi Airport is “up and working" after a technical glitch disrupted the schedules of more than 800 flights.
According to the airport, a technical issue was detected with the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that supports the ATC flight planning process.
Air traffic controllers were forced to manually prepare flight plans using available data, a time-consuming process that resulted in flight delays.
Services of all major domestic airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet, were affected, resulting in long queues and slower operations at the airport. Delays were also reported in airports in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
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“The AMSS has now been restored to normal functionality. While minor delays in automated processes may persist due to backlogged data, the system is stabilising and full normalcy is expected shortly,” the ministry of civil aviation said.
“The Airports Authority of India deeply regrets any inconvenience caused to airlines and passengers and reaffirms its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of operational safety, reliability and service excellence across the nation’s air traffic management network,” it added.
What is AMSS?
The AMSS serves as a key communication link between the air traffic control and different airlines, and transmits thousands of messages regarding flight plans, weather updates and operational changes on a daily basis.
The AMSS facilitates the automatic transmission of flight plan data on aircraft movement in the air and on the runway, along with weather updates to the air traffic controllers’ screens.
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The ATC is dependent on the systems, including the AMSS, to process flight plans, track aircraft movement and provide real-time data to the controllers, according to Financial Express.
When systems like the AMSS suffer outage, controllers have to follow manual procedures, like noting down flight details, calculating separations, and coordinating through voice communication.
