4:00PM EST: (UPDATE IN EXTENDED STORY) The Federal Aviation Administration says a communication failure at a Georgia facility that processes flight plans for the eastern half of the U.S. is causing flight delays and is grounding many flights across the country.

FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says there are no safety issues and officials are still able to speak to pilots on planes on the ground and in the air.

She says she doesn’t know how many flights are being affected.

Bergen says the problem that occurred Tuesday afternoon involves an FAA facility in Hampton, Ga., south of Atlanta, that processes flight plans. She says there has been a failure in a communication link that transmits the data to a similar facility in Salt Lake City.

As a result, the Salt Lake City facility has to process those flight plans, causing delays.

UPDATE 5:45PM EST: The Federal Aviation Administration says aircraft operations in New York airspace are now back to normal. Residual delays are expected in Chicago and Atlanta.

(Source: FAA / Associated Press)