London, November 19: A Problem with a computer system pilots use to file flight plan information was causing flight cancellations and delays across the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airlines said.
It was a nationwide problem but it was not effecting radar coverage or communications with planes, the FAA said.
“We are having a problem processing flight plan information. We are investigating the cause of the problem. We are processing flight plans manually and expect some delays,” the FAA said in a statement.
Fox News reported the system went down between 5.15am and 5.30am EST yesterday and the extent of the malfunction was not yet known. The FAA had experienced similar problems in 2007 and 2008 and the last time it happened it took more than six hours to resolve
Passengers were advised to check with their airlines about delays. The problems were first reported out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Fox News reported.
“The airport is working to minimize the impact on customers by bringing in additional staff and ensuring that all facilities are operational and fully maintained,” a statement from Hartsfield-Jackson officials said;
An AirTran spokesman said as of 8am the airline had cancelled 22 flight across the US and was experiencing delays on “dozens more” flights .
He said the cancellations were mainly at their Atlanta hub but flights were affected nationwide.
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport said flights were arriving and departing as scheduled about 8.30am (EST) but delays were expected later in the day.
—Agencies