FAA begins to resume flight operations after air traffic control failures
WASHINGTON (AP/WJLA) — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said flight operations will resume following earlier air traffic control failures Saturday. FAA officials said passengers should check with their airline regarding information for their flight.
Reagan National Airport officials said the FAA will attempt to redirect flights around Washington airspace, but Washington area flights will remain on ground stop.
Thousands of travelers along the East Coast faced flight delays Saturday due to technical issues at a Federal Aviation Administration center in Virginia, authorities said.
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the agency is investigating an automation problem at an air traffic center in Leesburg, Virginia. Flights into and out of New York- and Washington-area airports were being grounded with delays stretching to 2 hours, 45 minutes in some cases.
The FAA also said there were delays at New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports.
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.
Flight delays at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport are stretching beyond two hours in length, and arrivals and departures are very limited there. The conditions were similar at Washington's Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport.
"There are widespread impacts on airline flight operations throughout the regions," said Jonathan Dean, a spokesman for Baltimore's airport. Any takeoffs and landings at airports in the region are "extremely limited," Dean said.
The FAA said it is directing high-altitude flights around the affected airspace. The problem is not believed to be caused by any accident or hacking.
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.
Here is a complete list of flight cancellations and delays courtesy of FlightAware.com.
DEPARTURE DELAYS
BWI
Canceled 50 flights 17 percent of flights
Delayed 30 flights 10 percent of flights
DCA
Canceled 19 flights 6 percent of flights
Delayed 86 flights 29 percent of flights
IAD
Canceled 2 flights 0 percent of flights
Delayed 31 flights 9 percent of flights
ARRIVAL DELAYS
DCA
Canceled 19 flights 6 percent of flights
Delayed 60 flights 20 percent of flights
BWI
Canceled 56 flights 20 percent of flights
Delayed 17 flights 6 percent of flights
IAD
Canceled 3 flights 0 percent of flights
Delayed 21 flights 6 percent of flights
BWI Marshall Airport tweeted the following in relation to the traffic control failure:
