Flights Grounded Throughout US East Coast As Delta, American, Southwest Cope With Air Traffic Control Center Issue

Update, 2:59 p.m. ET: The Federal Aviation Administration announced that the system malfunction that grounded more than 440 flights earlier in the day had been restored and was back in service. Flights throughout the East Coast had been delayed, sometimes for hours as a result of the issue. The FAA did not elaborate on what caused the problem or how it had been resolved in the statement.

Update, 2:59 p.m. ET: Around 220 flights were canceled on Saturday at airports across the east coast, as of 2 p.m ET. This was due to a problem with a flight tracking system, according the Federal Aviation Administration.

Original story:

More than 100 flights across the U.S. east coast were grounded Saturday, and others were delayed due to technical issues at an air traffic control center in Leesburg, Virginia. The center is experiencing automation problems, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the issue.

As of 1 p.m. EDT, there were 134 flights canceled at the Baltimore and Washington airports alone, according to flightaware.com, a site which monitors air traffic.

FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said that some flights in the New York and Washington, D.C. metro airports could remain delayed -- both incoming and outgoing. The flight delay map on the FAA website is also showing delays out of Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport and Tampa International Airport.

High-altitude flights are being directed around the affected airspace, according to the FAA.

“We are working on rerouting aircrafts that were planned. We have to make last minute adjustments to flight plans. Flights in and out of the three major [Washington, D.C.] area airports may be delayed,” Delta Air Lines spokesman Morgan Durrant told CNN.

American Airlines made its passengers aware of the issue in a tweet at midday, urging them to plan accordingly.

Status update delays at a number of airports are indicating delays of over an hour, “with no apparent end,” according to NBC Washington.