Marseille: Air traffic at Marseille Provence Airport in southern France was disrupted Saturday due to a failure of a critical weather system used to provide atmospheric pressure data to aircraft, BFM TV reported. The failure was detected at around 6 am local time (0400 GMT) at the airport in Marignane, near Marseille, according to airport authorities.

According to Anadolu Agency, the system is considered 'critical and vital' for aircraft landings and, depending on the aircraft and airline, departures, an airport spokesperson told Actu Marseille. The cause of the failure was not immediately known.

The airport said operations had been gradually returning to normal since around 10 am local time (0800 GMT) and advised passengers to follow updates from their airlines. Of 35 flights scheduled to depart between 6 am and 10 am, 21 were able to take off, although with delays, according to an airport spokesperson. Fourteen flights were still awaiting departure at around 11 am local time (0900 GMT), France 3 reported.

Some flights scheduled to land in Marseille were diverted to Nice and Montpellier. An Air France flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle and another flight from Nantes were canceled.