An Amtrak construction crew accidentally severed a Verizon fiber-optic backup cable in New Jersey on Monday afternoon, triggering a telecommunications outage that forced the Federal Aviation Administration to ground and delay hundreds of flights across major Northeast airports ahead of the UN General Assembly.
The Cut That Grounded the Northeast
Travelers across the Northeastern United States faced widespread disruptions on Monday afternoon after infrastructure work severed a critical telecommunications link. An Amtrak construction crew working in New Jersey accidentally cut into a fiber line, disabling a backup network used by air traffic controllers. The incident forced the Federal Aviation Administration to issue ground stops and delays for airports in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy detailed the failure on social media, writing that 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. Officials noted that the severed line was actually a backup network, and the error was only discovered after the primary circuit failed at the Terminal Radar Approach Control system, which is used to guide planes during takeoff and landing.
Airports Feel the Impact From Newark to New York
Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey was the most heavily impacted by today’s air traffic control disruptions, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Flight-tracking data reported that 267 departing flights were delayed today, while a further 257 flights destined for Newark were also delayed.
Operations also stuttered at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, both in New York, as well as Philadelphia International Airport and Teterboro Airport. As of 3:07 p.m. ET, the FAA’s website showed active ground stops at EWR and TEB, while JFK, LGA and PHL were operating under ground delays related to the equipment outage. Later Monday afternoon, Duffy said flights were resuming at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), while flights into Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Teterboro Airport (TEB) remained paused. Earlier Monday, the FAA told Fox News it was pausing flights into Philadelphia International, Teterboro and Newark Liberty International airports due to issues with some frequencies at Philadelphia TRACON, and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said Philadelphia TRACON lost its primary circuit, prompting controllers to switch to a backup system where they discovered a broken fiber-optic cable.
Aging Infrastructure and the Price of Modernization
Speaking to reporters earlier Monday, Sean Duffy acknowledged that the system vulnerabilities are part of a broader, systemic challenge with aging technology, with Duffy stating that those are issues that aren’t new to them and adding that they know those problems can happen and that they know those cuts can happen. Federal officials emphasized that upgrading the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure requires sustained investment to prevent similar faults.
He stated that this incident underscores the need for additional funding to modernize aging infrastructure and prevent disruptions like that in the future.
Secretary Sean Duffy, Department of Transportation
Duffy noted that the department has been actively working to upgrade FAA equipment and its telecom architecture, though the upgrades require substantial capital. As Duffy explained to reporters, while they work through all the new equipment and all the new architecture of their telecom, which includes fans, it all takes money, which is why they maintain a holistic view of everything, including how they rework their telecom. Duffy added that work is being done before securing all necessary money and that when we get the cash
progress will hasten, noting that this is not shocking.
Last May, Philadelphia TRACON Area C experienced a roughly two-second radio outage, days after a separate outage prompted a ground stop for Newark-bound flights following facility upgrades moved from Long Island to Philadelphia the previous summer, leading the Department of Transportation to introduce a new fiber-optic cable between Philadelphia and New York to improve air traffic control telecommunications.
Verizon Responds and the UNGA Pressure Point
Telecommunications company Verizon, which owns the cable running adjacent to an Amtrak rail line in New Jersey, told US media in a statement to CNN that it was working to repair it as quickly as possible
and that it bears no responsibility
for the incident involving construction contractors who dug up and cut the cable.
The timing of the outage added severe logistical pressure to regional transportation networks. The major east coast disruption comes ahead of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City on Tuesday, which is expected to be attended by scores of world leaders arriving into New York-area airports. With repair crews racing against the clock, the FAA did not provide a timeline for when normal operations will resume.