(NEW YORK) — A tech outage led United Airlines to ground flights nationwide Wednesday night, and even with the issue now resolved, over 1,000 flights were delayed and dozens were canceled.
“We are working with customers to get them to their destinations after a technology disruption on Wednesday evening,” the airline said in a statement.
The outage stemmed from an issue with the airline’s weight and balance computer system, United said.
“The underlying technology issue has been resolved, and, while we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore our normal operations,” the airline said.
The airline said the outage began shortly after 6 p.m. ET and was resolved after a few hours.
“Due to a technology issue, we are holding United mainline flights at their departure airports,” the airline said in a statement. “We expect additional flight delays this evening as we work through this issue. Safety is our top priority, and we’ll work with our customers to get them to their destinations.”
Overall, more than 1,000 flights were delayed and more than 40 were canceled, according to FlightAware, a site that tracks air traffic. United said it’s covering meals and hotels for impacted customers.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement it was aware the airline “experienced a technology issue disrupting their operations.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the issue was specific to United’s operations “and is unrelated to the broader air traffic control system.”
The airline confirmed in a statement to ABC News that the issue was not related to a cyberattack.
The ground stop did not affect United Express flights, and any flight that was already in the air will continue to its destination, according to the airline.
Multiple FAA notices stated that the airline requested ground stops at major hubs, including Newark, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver and Houston.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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