Thousands of Delays at US Airports Amid Customs System Outage

— -- The customs processing system at a number of U.S. airports was hit with an hours-long outage Monday night, causing delays for travelers, officials said.

There were 4,491 delays nationwide yesterday, according to figures from FlightAware, with the worst of it coming during the evening amid the system outage.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the outage lasted from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. and the agency "took immediate action to address the issue and CBP officers continue to process international travelers using alternative procedures at airports experiencing the disruption," according to an updated statement.

Atlanta was hit with 694 delays on Monday, followed by LAX with 395, according to FlightAware.

"During the technology disruption, CBP had access to national security-related databases and all travelers were screened according to security standards," the updated statement said. "At this time, there is no indication the service disruption was malicious in nature.”

Several airports reported delays. Flights at JFK Airport in New York ran about 90 minutes late last night, according to the Port Authority.