Cyber Attack Scare at Delhi Airport: Was India’s Busiest Airport Hacked or a System Glitch?

Cyber Attack Scare at Delhi Airport: On 7 November 2025, flight operations at IGIA experienced major disruption. Over 200 flights were delayed due to a fault in the air-traffic messaging system. The system at the heart of the delay was the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), responsible for relaying flight-plan information to controllers.

Because of the failure, controllers switched to a manual mode, causing average departure delays of around 55 minutes and a buildup of aircraft traffic.

Was It a Cyber Attack?

Early reports suggested that malware or sabotage could be behind the incident. However, an official from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) told the press that no cyber-attack has been confirmed; the problem originated during software upgrades to the ATC systems.

Experts note that while this incident may stem from a technical glitch, the airport still faces serious vulnerability to cyber acts such as GPS spoofing — where aircraft navigation systems receive fake signals. A recent article describes IGIA as having experienced suspected GPS-spoofing incidents in recent days.

Why This Matters

IGIA handles 60–70 aircraft movements per hour and handled about 78 million passengers in 2024.
A disruption in its traffic-management system causes ripple effects across the Indian air-space and airline schedules — not just delays, but cost, chaos and risk.
The aviation sector globally has seen airports halted due to ransomware or system failures; India’s regulatory and cybersecurity preparedness is thus under scrutiny.

What Needs to Be Done

For Airports and Regulators:

Enhance layered cybersecurity protection on ATC and flight-plan systems (AMSS, ATS) with real-time monitoring.
Institute strong incident-response protocols to shift operations seamlessly from automated to manual.
Explore simulation of cyber-attack scenarios like GPS spoofing, phishing of airline systems, unauthorized access to AMSS.

For Passengers and Airlines:

Monitor real-time flight status via official airline apps or airport websites rather than relying solely on display boards.
Arrive early, especially when traffic is dense or air-space systems are undergoing maintenance.
Know that a late “technical glitch” might involve underlying cyber/IT vulnerabilities — not just mechanical issues.

While the Ministry has ruled out a confirmed cyber-attack, the incident at IGIA stands as a wake-up call. In an era where airports run as critical digital infrastructures, even “technical glitches” can mask deeper cyber-risks. The risk is not only delays — but potential safety hazards if navigation or communication systems are compromised. India’s busiest airport now has a challenge not just of capacity or traffic — but of cybersecurity readiness.