Air traffic control systems at several airports on the US East Coast malfunctioned, causing widespread flight delays after construction workers accidentally cut a cable essential to the control system.
Foreign news agencies reported that US officials had to temporarily halt and postpone flights at major airports across New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts on the afternoon of Monday, 21 Sep 2026 GMT+7, following the accidental severing of a critical air traffic control cable by construction workers.
Transportation officials revealed that the damage affected the Terminal Radar Approach Control system, which guides aircraft during takeoff and landing phases.
Verizon, the telecommunications giant owning the cable, told US media that it is working to repair the damage “as quickly as possible” and emphasized that the company “is not responsible” for the accident.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey was the most severely impacted by the air traffic control system disruption today.
The site reported that 267 outbound flights were delayed, while 257 inbound flights destined for Newark were also affected by delays.
Additionally, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport were also impacted by the incident.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy disclosed that the damage was caused by workers from Amtrak, the government-run intercity rail service, who were conducting construction in New Jersey.
Duffy posted on X that the incident “caused telecommunications outages,” forcing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to suspend flights. Officials added that the severed cable was actually part of a backup network, with the error discovered only after the primary circuit had already failed.
This disruption occurred shortly before the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City, scheduled to begin Tuesday, 22 Sep 2026 GMT+7, when many world leaders are expected to arrive at various New York-area airports to attend.
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Source:bbc