East Coast US flights delayed by FAA computer problem

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK — Flights were delayed for more than an hour at some East Coast US airports yesterday (Aug 15) because of a computer problem at a regional air-traffic control centre in Virginia, according to the Federal Aviation Administration website.

Six airports from the New York area to Florida were expecting late flights, with Baltimore-Washington International facing as much as two-hour delays. Delays at LaGuardia in New York were as much as an hour and 15 minutes at 1 pm local time (1am, Aug 16, Singapore time).

“The FAA is diagnosing an automation problem at an air traffic center in Leesburg, VA,” the agency said in an e-mail. “Some flights into and out of the New York and Washington, DC, metro area airports area may be delayed. We are directing high altitude traffic around the affected airspace.”

American Airlines Group said in a Twitter message that an issue with air traffic control was “impacting all airlines’ east coast flights”, and Southwest Airlines Co tweeted that air traffic control directives in Washington are affecting their operations.

“It’s affecting all airlines, all flights coming to, from and through the DC, New York and Cleveland areas,” Ms Laura Nedbal, a spokeswoman for American, said by phone. “The number of flights affected is constantly changing.” She declined to estimate the number of flight delays or how long they will continue. BLOOMBERG