The recent system failure at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Friday may not have been entirely unforeseen, an organisation of air traffic controllers reportedly said. The group claims that Delhi airport authorities were warned about such vulnerabilities months ago.
According to news reports, the ATC Guild of India, an organisation representing air traffic controllers, flagged the need for upgrades to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) back in July, emphasising that the existing automation systems were outdated and in urgent need of upgrading.
However, they alleged their suggestions were not acted upon.
The guild said they also wrote to MPs on July 8, following the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that killed 260, and emphasised that "it is essential that the automation systems used in air navigation services are reviewed and upgraded periodically," the publication reported.
The system should be upgraded to international standards, they said.
What did the air traffic controllers suggest?
The report further stated that the ATC Guild of India highlighted the advanced infrastructure employed by Europe's Eurocontrol and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which utilise artificial intelligence, threat detection, and real-time data sharing to enhance aviation safety.
On Friday, a technical glitch was reported in the air traffic control's Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that had caused flight delays at the Delhi airport.
More than 800 flights were delayed, and some flights were cancelled due to a technical issue with the AMSS, which provides the flight plans for the air traffic controllers. AAI said it has addressed the "technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which caused delays in processing flight plan messages".
The issue was detected on November 6, and immediately, a review meeting was conducted by the Civil Aviation Secretary, along with the AAI Chairman, the AAI Member ANS and other officials, and necessary directions were given to address the issue, as per the post.
Also Read: Delhi ATC technical glitch delays over 800 flights
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