(Reuters) – Thunderstorms and malfunctioning equipment at an FAA facility caused major delays for air travelers on the U.S. East Coast on Sunday evening, with Washington and New York forced to briefly halt most incoming flights.
As the evening progressed, flights resumed from the Washington area after communications repairs were completed, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
But delays continued for several New York airports after thunderstorms forced earlier ground stops.
The FAA had cited thunderstorms for ground stops at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, Philadelphia Airport, Liberty Airport in Newark, and JFK and LaGuardia Airports in New York.
“The facility has transitioned to a backup system,” the FAA said in a statement explaining the delays in the Washington area.
FlightAware, a flight tracking website, said 39% of flights out of Newark Liberty and 47% of flights out of LaGuardia airports were delayed.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Diane Craft and Lisa Shumaker)