US authority lifts grounding order on flights after computer outage

By AP Reporters

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is lifting a grounding order on flights across America following a computer outage that resulted in thousands of delays at airports nationwide.

Earlier in the morning, the FAA ordered all US flights to delay departures until at least 9am EST (2pm GMT).

Due to heavy congestion, the FAA cleared flights to depart at Newark Liberty and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airports.

The agency said that normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the US following the outage.

More than 3,700 flights were delayed and more than 640 were cancelled earlier in the day.

The FAA said it is looking into the cause of the initial problem.