FAA telecom issue resolved after snarling East Coast flights - USA Today
Travelers on the East Coast faced delays and cancellations on Sept. 21 after a Federal Aviation Administration equipment outage forced major airports to halt flight operations for hours. The telecommunications issue was later resolved.
According to the National Airspace System Status, the FAA issued a ground stop, or ground delay, on the morning of Sept. 21 for several of the Northeast's biggest hubs due to an equipment outage, including Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Teterboro Airport.
Boston Logan International Airport was also impacted by a ground stop and paused accepting flights due to spillover volume.
"An Amtrak construction crew accidentally cut into a fiber line in New Jersey which caused a telecom outage and forced FAA to pause flights in the Northeast," Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X.
But Amtrak said it was not responsible for the incident. New Jersey Transit confirmed a crew had been digging at a work site 10 feet away from the utility markings, but it had to determine if Verizon or the contractor made the markings. Verizon later said it was working to fix the damaged cable.
By around 6 p.m. ET, the telecom lines were repaired and the ground stops were lifted, according to Duffy. Flight operations across the Northeast have resumed to normal, but some travelers may still experience delays and are encouraged to check with their airlines for the latest updates.
The telecommunications issue directly impacted a failed circuit at Philadelphia's TRACON, or Terminal Radar Approach Control, which is an FAA facility where the air traffic controllers guide approaching and departing aircraft.
"The timing is absolutely horrible and Iβm very sorry for the delays and cancellations," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, according to Reuters. "Weβre going to do what is necessary to make sure the airspace is safe."
The most impacted airports are Newark, where 55% of scheduled flights were canceled and 11% were delayed, and Philadelphia, where 22% were canceled and 41% were delayed, according to FlightAware at about 9 p.m.
United Airlines saw the most disruptions, with 356 flights canceled, or 11% of their schedule, and 690 delayed, or about 21%.
"An FAA technology outage is affecting all airlines in the Northeast, including Unitedβs operation at Newark Liberty," United said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Flights that had been destined for Newark have either been held at their departure airport or diverted to alternative airports. Once the FAA outage is resolved, we will work to safely get our customers to their destinations, and have issued aΒ travel waiver to give our customers flexibility to manage their travel plans."
The incident demonstrated the fragility of the aging U.S. air traffic control system, which Congress awarded $12.5 billion for upgrades last year.
This story was updated to add new information.
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