Several airports in America experienced delays on Friday due to staffing shortages at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) control centers along the East Coast.

The FAA tweeted a statement confirming staffing shortages, stating: “We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two facilities. We are mitigating the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft when needed.”

According to airport status information provided by the FAA’s ATC System Command Center; a Traffic Management Program is in effect for La Guardia Airport. The statement reads: “There is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving La Guardia Airport, New York, NY. This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of one hour and 26 minutes.”

Other airports reporting delays include Philadelphia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. Affected airports are encouraging passengers to confirm their flight status with the airline.

Airlines are reporting delays as a result, with Delta Air Lines stating: “As of Friday morning, Delta is experiencing about 200 flight delays at New York LaGuardia Airport, as well as other airports in the Northeast region due to the FAA’s Ground Delay Program.” The airline said it was working to re-accommodate customers to their destinations.

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