Tech glitch grounds United Airlines flights, causing hundreds of delays

Despite the fix, the disruption led to delays for over 1,000 flights and the cancellation of more than 40, according to FlightAware.

According to United, the problem originated from a malfunction in the airline’s weight and balance computer system.

"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," the statement further said.

United Airlines reported that the outage began shortly after 6 pm Eastern Time (2200GMT) and was resolved within a few hours.

The airline said it is providing meals and hotel accommodations for affected passengers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that it was aware that United Airlines had "experienced a technology issue disrupting their operations."

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the problem was isolated to United's systems and had no connection to the broader air traffic control infrastructure.

United also confirmed to ABC News that the outage was not the result of a cyberattack.

According to the airline, the ground stop did not impact United Express flights, and planes already in the air continued to their destinations as planned.

FAA notices revealed that United requested ground stops at several major hubs, including Newark, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver and Houston.