TOKYO – Haneda airport in Tokyo suffered a glitch in its air traffic control system on Tuesday morning, causing flight delays and cancellations, the transport ministry said.
The trouble, which occurred at around 5:30 a.m., was traced to a malfunction at a hub in southwestern Japan that consolidates flight information nationwide, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said.
All departures from Haneda airport were halted for around 15 minutes from 7:15 a.m., with delays continuing even after the ministry switched to a backup system.
All Nippon Airways canceled 30 domestic flights, mainly to and from Haneda, and Japan Airlines canceled 223 flights. The cancellations affected around 39,000 people, according to the airlines.
According to the ministry, the Kobe air traffic control center in western Japan first detected the problem, with further investigation revealing that the issue originated at the Fukuoka air traffic control center.
The ministry said it is investigating the cause and that there is no indication of a cyberattack.
At Haneda, crowds of passengers waited for further information as many looked up at electronic boards displaying rows of cancellations and delays.
A 60-year-old woman from Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward who planned a business trip to Hokkaido said she had to cancel appointments there, adding, “All I can do is hope for a quick recovery.”
AloJapan.com