Flights delayed in Japan due to glitch in air traffic control

 A system failure in the air traffic control network occurred Friday, delaying flights across large parts of Japan, the transport ministry said, Kyodo reports. 

The problem started at around 11:40 a.m. at the ministry's Tokyo area air traffic control center in Saitama Prefecture, prompting departure restrictions at airports, including Haneda and Narita.

The system was restored at around 12:10 p.m., and restrictions were lifted about 10 minutes later, although some flights continued to be affected.

During the disruption, information other than the aircrafts' location was not displayed on the control system screen, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said.

The control center oversees extensive areas of the country stretching from western to northeastern Japan. Affected flights included those departing from airports in the northern main island of Hokkaido, as the Sapporo air traffic control center also uses the system.

Japan Airlines Co. said that 12 of its flights were delayed by up to 28 minutes as of 1 p.m., affecting around 1,400 people. Flights of All Nippon Airways Co. were also impacted.