Japan Airlines said Thursday its host computer for passenger services broke down, stalling almost all international flights in the morning out of Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture.
The breakdown, which occurred at 7:25 a.m. and affected ticketing and check-in services for international flights and ticketing for domestic flights, forced the Tokyo-based airline to handle tickets manually at Narita, the largest international gateway in Japan and JAL's hub for international services.
International services were delayed at Narita by at least one to two hours, just as an exodus of summer vacationers for the Bon season was about to begin.
The airline said the breakdown also delayed international services out of Nagoya and Kansai International Airport. Domestic services were also affected.
The computer system was restored at around noon, the company said, adding that over 40 flights were disrupted, affecting roughly 13,000 passengers.