A major systems crash at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) that delayed hundreds of flights this week has once again drawn attention to long-standing warnings about India’s ageing air traffic control technology.

Months before Thursday’s breakdown, the Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild (India) had cautioned authorities that the country’s automation systems were showing “performance degradation,” including frequent slowness and data processing lags at major airports like Delhi and Mumbai.

The Guild, in a communication sent to the government and aviation authorities in July 2025, had urged that air navigation systems be periodically reviewed and upgraded to global standards. It specifically pointed to the lack of predictive tools, artificial intelligence-based conflict dete

See Full Page