Flight delays persist as F.A.A. resumes operations

The Federal Aviation Administration said it resumed operations Saturday afternoon after an automation problem at an air traffic control center in Leesburg, Va., halted flights across the country. Airlines also started to resume services, but delays and cancellations still remain. The FAA is working with airlines to return to normal operations, and the agency expects to lift any remaining traffic management programs by 4 p.m. EST, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in a statement.

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Flight delays persist as F.A.A. resumes operationsTyler Pager, USA TODAY2 minutes agoFacebookTwitterGoogle Plusmore

The Federal Aviation Administration said it resumed operations Saturday afternoon after an automation problem at an air traffic control center in Leesburg, Va., halted flights across the country. Airlines also started to resume services, but delays and cancellations still remain.

The FAA is working with airlines to return to normal operations, and the agency expects to lift any remaining traffic management programs by 4 p.m. EST, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in a statement.

Jacquelyn Martin, AP

A man walks past people standing in line at Washington's Reagan National more

"The FAA is continuing its root cause analysis to determine what caused the problem and is working closely with the airlines to minimize impacts to travelers," she said.

Flights in and out of New York and Washington, D.C., area airports were affected by the technical problem.
Reagan Airport @Reagan_Airport

Update: @FAANews is beginning to resume flight operations. Passengers should check w/their airline for info about their specific flight.

The AP reported the automation problem stemmed from the En Route Automation Modernization computer system, known as ERAM, which the FAA installed at 20 high-altitude traffic control centers. The installation was completed earlier this year behind schedule, according to the AP.

The Baltimore airport tweeted Saturday afternoon that a computer outage was keeping arrivals and departures at Reagan, Dulles International Airport and its own airport at a minimum.

Representatives from Southwest Airlines said the outage was also causing delays and cancellations at Richmond International Airport, Norfolk International Airport and Raleigh Durham International Airport. The airline said the large amount of delays could impact flights around the country as well.

As of 2 p.m. EST, Southwest said fewer than 200 of its flights were canceled due to the automation problem.