A problem with air traffic control systems at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport briefly prevented flights from leaving or arriving on Wednesday, ANP news agency reported.

The agency cited airport and air traffic control sources saying the problem began shortly after 1 p.m. local time.

A few minutes later, the airport tweeted that departures were gradually resuming.

According to European air safety agency Eurocontrol, problems at Schiphol Airport were caused by a "communications failure" in lower airspace.

The Dutch air traffic control authority says in a tweet that it is deploying extra staff to tackle the problem that affected communications between air traffic controllers and pilots.

Details of the communications problem were not immediately available.