Computer malfunction triggers widespread flight delays

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The malfunction of a computer system in the Federal Aviation Administration Thursday led to widespread flight cancellations and delays across the U.S., the FAA said.

FAA spokesperson Paul Takemoto confirmed with reporters that the problem with the Atlanta-based computer system that collects airlines flight schedules occurred earlier this morning, affecting flights and traffic management.

As a solution, airplane dispatchers had to send flight plans to controllers and controllers in turn input them into computers manually, he said.

However, the FAA had yet to confirm how many flights had been affected.

"It's slowing everything down. We don't know yet what the impact on delays will be," Takemoto said.

The FAA said in a statement it was investigating the cause of the problem, and "processing flight plans manually."

"We have radar coverage and communications with planes," it added.

An AirTran Airways spokesman, Christopher White, told CNN the airline had canceled 22 flights around the country and had delayed dozens more.

He also said the problem would have "a pretty major impact on operations" and the cancellations would have a ripple effect.

Delta Air Lines, the world's largest airline, also reported mass flight delays and cancellations, but did not specify the number.