Hundreds of flights experienced significant delays on Monday afternoon across major airports in the northeastern United States following an accidental cable severance by construction workers. Ground stops and delays were implemented at facilities serving New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts as air traffic control systems went offline.
The incident disrupted the Terminal Radar Approach Control system, which guides aircraft during takeoff and landing operations. According to , more than 1,000 flights were affected by the telecommunications failure. FAA administrator Bryan Bedford indicated that repairs could take up to 13 hours after the backup fiber optic line was discovered to be cut, extending uncertainty well beyond the initial disruption window.
Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey experienced the heaviest impact. Flight-tracking data showed 267 departing flights delayed and 257 inbound flights also delayed at that facility alone. John F Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York, along with Philadelphia International Airport, were similarly affected. Teterboro Airport also faced severe disruptions, with some departures running more than 255 minutes late.
What caused the outage?
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the damage to workers employed by Amtrak, the national operator of intercity railroad service, who were conducting construction work in New Jersey. The severed cable was located between New Brunswick and Newark, New Jersey, according to FAA administrator Bedford. Telecommunications company Verizon, which owns the infrastructure, stated it was working to repair the damage
as quickly as possibleand claimed it
bears no responsibilityfor the incident. Verizon noted that the damaged cable ran adjacent to an Amtrak rail line and that its facilities were operational until the moment of severance.
How did the system fail?
The disruption exposed a critical vulnerability in the backup infrastructure. The severed cable was actually a backup network connection, and the failure only became apparent after the primary circuit malfunctioned. When the system attempted to switch to the backup fiber optic line, operators discovered it had already been cut. The FAA described the failure as involving the Philadelphia TRACON, the air traffic control facility responsible for serving the Philadelphia and Newark region.
What was the operational status during the afternoon?
By midafternoon on Monday, Newark, JFK, and Teterboro remained under active ground stops, preventing all departures. LaGuardia, Philadelphia, and certain other airports had transitioned to ground delay programs, allowing limited flight operations with extended wait times. Restrictions were expected to remain in place at least into the afternoon, with reports indicating Newark's ground stop was extended until at least 2:45 p.m. local time.
What is the broader context?
This disruption arrives amid heightened air traffic demands, as the UN General Assembly convenes in New York City on Tuesday with numerous world leaders expected to arrive at area airports. The incident also follows a pattern of recent air traffic control disruptions affecting major transportation hubs. In September 2026, a technical fault at UK air traffic control provider Nats caused over 1,000 flight cancellations, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers across European airports.
Key Facts
- More than 1,000 flights were disrupted across five major Northeast airports: Newark Liberty, Teterboro, Philadelphia, LaGuardia, and John F. Kennedy International
- Amtrak construction workers accidentally severed a backup fiber optic cable between New Brunswick and Newark, New Jersey, adjacent to an Amtrak rail line
- The outage affected the Philadelphia TRACON system, which provides radar guidance for aircraft takeoff and landing across the region
- FAA administrator Bryan Bedford estimated repairs could require up to 13 hours, with ground stops and delays expected to persist through the afternoon
- The incident occurred on the eve of the UN General Assembly in New York, when major airports were already handling elevated passenger volumes
