Hundreds of flights to and from the New York area and Philadelphia were canceled, delayed or diverted Monday. verizon Officials say a fiber cable was accidentally cut during construction in New Jersey, cutting off a critical backup feed of data to air traffic controllers.
The problem prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend flights to Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia, forcing nearly 100 planes, including some that had traveled hours from Europe, to be diverted to other U.S. airports.
More than 600 flights to and from Newark had been canceled as of 6 p.m. Monday, with more than half of the day’s schedule canceled and nearly 100 delayed, according to FlightAware. More than 200 flights to Philadelphia were canceled and more than 400 were delayed.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X that the line resumed service on Monday night after repairs were completed.
The problem started with an initial line failure, and “when we tried to switch over to the backup, we discovered that the backup fiber was broken,” FAA Administrator Brian Bedford told reporters on the sidelines of an event showcasing new artificial intelligence-powered air traffic control tools in Washington, D.C.
New Jersey Transit announced that a construction worker working on a rail project between New Brunswick and North Brunswick, New Jersey, “inadvertently severed a fiber optic cable while working on site.” The transit agency said the crew was operating approximately 10 feet from a public transit sign.
The loss of circuits and backup feeds was impacting Philadelphia’s Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility, which guides planes into and out of Newark and Philadelphia.
By early afternoon, the chaos had spread to New York City, and flights to LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airports were also suspended by the FAA, but were resumed by late afternoon with some delays.
“Contractors working in the area dug up and severed the cable,” Verizon said in a statement. “Up until that point, Verizon’s facilities were fully operational. Verizon is not responsible for this incident.”
NJ Transit said its staff is “currently working on-site to verify the status of the repairs, and are also determining whether Verizon or a contractor created the utility marks on-site.”
Verizon said it “immediately sent our technicians to the scene,” adding that it was “working aggressively to repair the damaged cable and restore connectivity as quickly as possible.”
The airports affected are Newark Liberty International Airport; united airlinesThe busiest international hubs are Philadelphia International Airport and Teterboro, New Jersey.
United Airlines has waived flight change fees for travelers affected by the disruption. To alleviate staffing issues, United Airlines offered additional pay for pick-up and drop-off in Newark, freeing up commuting space to the New York City area. american airlinesThe airline, which operates a hub out of Philadelphia, also waived change fees and allowed customers to depart from other airports.
More than 100 flights to Newark had to be diverted, including international flights from Iceland, Egypt, Greece, Spain and France, according to Flightradar 24.
A United Airlines flight from Berlin was diverted to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and a SAS flight from Stockholm to Newark was dispatched to Washington Dulles International Airport.
Aging air traffic control equipment and technical problems have long worried airline executives. The Trump administration last year announced a multibillion-dollar overhaul of U.S. air traffic control equipment and resources.
“This incident highlights the need for additional funding to modernize our aging infrastructure and prevent such disruptions in the future,” Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X on Monday.
The chaos occurred hours before President Donald Trump and a number of international leaders were scheduled to arrive in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
