UPDATE 2:00 P.M.: The FAA says “automation problem” that caused flight delays has been resolved. The agency said that a computer system at an air traffic center in Leesburg, Va., that controllers use to direct high-altitude flights was back in service, and that officials were expected to have lifted any remaining order to hold planes on the ground by about 4 p.m. EDT. The FAA said it is continuing to investigate the root cause of the problem, and was working closely with the airlines to minimize impacts to travelers.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Thousands of air travelers along the East Coast are facing delays due to technical issues at a Federal Aviation Administration center in Virginia.
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says the agency is investigating an automation problem at an air traffic center in Leesburg, Virginia. Flights into and out of airports in the New York- and Washington areas are being grounded, with delays stretching to 2 hours, 45 minutes in some cases.
A spokesman at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport says takeoffs and landings at airports in the region are “extremely limited.”
American Airlines said in a tweet that air traffic control issues are impacting all East Coast flights. The airline is urging passengers to plan accordingly.
Information posted on an FAA website indicated that part of the trouble was due a computer system known as ERAM that air traffic controllers used at 20 centers around the country that handle high-altitude air traffic. Installation of the system was completed earlier this year at the last of the centers, years behind schedule.
The FAA said it is directing high-altitude flights around the affected airspace.