FAA flight pauses in Northeast after cut to fiber-optic line
A severed fiber-optic cable in New Jersey caused a telecommunications outage that forced the FAA to halt or delay flights at several major airports in the region.
An Amtrak construction crew inadvertently cut a fiber-optic cable in New Jersey, triggering a telecommunications outage that led the Federal Aviation Administration to pause or delay flights at multiple Northeast airports, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Monday. The outage affected Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Teterboro Airport, where flights remained paused, while LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport began resuming operations under ground delays.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford explained that the Philadelphia TRACON lost its primary circuit and, after controllers switched to a backup system, discovered the broken fiber-optic cable. Duffy noted that such infrastructure issues are not new and emphasized the need for additional funding to modernize aging systems. He added that the agency is working to upgrade its telecommunications architecture, but progress depends on securing the necessary money.
As of mid-afternoon, the FAA website listed active ground stops at Newark and Teterboro, with ground delays at JFK, LaGuardia and Philadelphia. The FAA did not respond to further inquiries.