Air India Delays Across Airports Caused By System Disruption And Vendor Outage

Air India experienced flight delays as a third-party check-in system disruption affected airports, with Delhi ATC issues contributing to slower operations. Passengers are advised to verify live schedules and allow extra time for travel.

Updated: Tuesday, December 2, 2025, 22:42 [IST]

Air India has asked passengers to confirm flight details before leaving for airports, after a third-party technology glitch slowed check-in at several airports and triggered delays for many airlines. The disruption on Tuesday affected operations across carriers, and some flights are still running late. Travellers have been urged to plan extra time for queues while systems stabilise across affected locations.

In a post on X, Air India said, "A third-party system disruption has been affecting check-in systems at various airports, resulting in delays across multiple airlines, including Air India. Our airport teams are working diligently to ensure a smooth check-in experience for all passengers. While the system is progressively getting restored, some of our flights may continue to experience delays until the situation fully normalises." The disruption comes as DGCA plans new rules for power banks on flights after a fire scare on an IndiGo plane.

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Air India has requested passengers to verify their flight details before going to airports due to a third-party technology issue causing check-in delays across multiple airlines, following a prior air traffic control problem at Delhi Airport on November 7th that affected over 150 flights.

Air India flight delays and system disruption

The airline repeated that passengers should not head to the airport without checking live schedules on its website. It said, "We request passengers to check their flight status at "https://airindia.com/in/en/manage/flight-status.html" before leaving for the airport, and to allow additional time for their journey. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding," adding that airport staff are trying to reduce inconvenience while systems recover.

Industry officials said airlines worldwide often depend on external vendors for check-in and other core operations. When these shared platforms fail, delays can quickly spread across many carriers. Air India has stated that its technology and airport teams are working together to restore full services. The airline is aiming to cut waiting time at counters and to keep disruption as limited as possible.

Event	Date	Main cause	Reported impact
Delhi Airport ATC system snag	7 November	Aeronautical Message Switching System software issue	Over 150 flights affected; many departures delayed by more than an hour
Air India third-party check-in disruption	Tuesday (latest advisory)	Third-party check-in system outage at various airports	Delays across multiple airlines, including Air India; passengers told to allow more time

Air India flight delays and Delhi airport ATC issues

The latest glitch follows serious technical problems at Delhi Airport’s air traffic control on 7 November, which slowed movements for hours. A software fault in the Aeronautical Message Switching System made automatic processing of flight plans difficult. By 9 am, more than 150 flights were hit, several departures were delayed by over an hour, and officials worried that limited parking stands would soon start affecting arrivals as well.

Delhi Airport posted its own message on X at that time, saying, "Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays. Their team is actively working with all stakeholders including DIAL to resolve it at the earliest. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused." The AMSS handles flight plans for aircraft arriving, departing and overflying Delhi airspace.

With that system partly down in November, officials had to enter flight data by hand, which sharply increased workload on controllers. A team from Electronics Corporation of India Ltd, Hyderabad, was brought in to fix the glitch. During that stretch, SpiceJet warned that, "Due to ATC congestion at Delhi, all departures and arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status." IndiGo reported "extended wait times both on the ground and onboard".

Air India also said at the time, "A technical issue with the ATC system in Delhi is impacting flight operations across all airlines, leading to delays and longer wait times at the airport and onboard aircraft." The November disruption came soon after another Air India issue, when a network problem at Delhi Airport hit check-in for about 70 minutes. Around the same period, India’s A320 fleet completed a software fix in just over a day, and DGCA moved to frame rules for carrying power banks on flights.