Washington, Jan 13 (IANS): A glitch in the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) software, which grounded thousands of flights in the country earlier this week, is at least 30 years old and six years away from being updated, the media reported on Friday.

As a result of a massive nationwide technical glitch, more than 10,000 flights in and out of the US were delayed on Wednesday, while more than 1,300 others were cancelled.

According to a report in CNN, the FAA software that failed causing more than 10k+ flight delays is "30 years old and at least 6 years away from being updated".

"The core operating system for the database has been around since the 1990s. Regardless of the improvements made to the system in recent years, it still has the heart of an 89-year-old man,a a government source was quoted as saying in the report.

The aviation body also said that the "personnel who failed to follow procedures" caused the computer system failure.

The FAA is "stuck addressing new technology, including drones and electric helicopters, with its outdated technology".

The disruption was due to a "damaged database file", reports earlier quoted the FAA as saying, adding that "at this time, there is no evidence of a cyber attack".

Airports nationwide were affected, from Denver to Atlanta to New York City. The technical issues marked the first time in nearly two decades that flights across the US were grounded.

President Joe Biden called for a "full investigation", according to the White House press secretary.