Hundreds of flights to and from the New York area and Philadelphia were canceled, delayed or diverted Monday after a Verizon fiber cable was accidentally cut during construction in New Jersey, severing a backup feed of key data for air traffic controllers, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration halted flights bound for Newark, New Jersey, and Philadelphia and forced nearly 100 planes, some of them after hourslong trips from Europe, to divert to other U.S. airports because of the issue.
More than 600 flights in and out of Newark were canceled Monday by 5 p.m., half of the day’s schedule, according to FlightAware, while nearly 100 were delayed. Nearly 200 Philadelphia flights were canceled and more than 400 delayed.
The problem started with an initial circuit failure and “when it went to flip into the backup, we discovered the backup fiber had a break,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters at an event showcasing a new artificial intelligence-powered air traffic control tool in Washington, D.C.
Public transportation system NJ Transit said a construction crew working on a rail project between New Brunswick and North Brunswick, New Jersey, “accidentally severed a fiber-optic cable while working at the site.” The transit agency said the crew was operating about 10 feet from utility markings.
The circuit and backup feed loss were affecting the Terminal Radar Approach Control, or TRACON, facility, in Philadelphia, which guides planes in and out of Newark and Philadelphia.
In the early afternoon, the disruptions spread to New York City, where flights into LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport were also halted by the FAA, though they were resuming with residual delays by late afternoon.
“Construction contractors working in the area dug up and cut our cable,” Verizon said in a statement. “Verizon’s facilities were fully functional up to that point. Verizon bears no responsibility for this incident.”
NJ Transit said its staff “is currently on site working to determine the status of the repairs, while also determining whether it was Verizon or the contractor who made the utility markings at the site.”
Verizon said it “immediately deployed our technicians to the scene” and added that it was “actively working to repair the damaged cable and restore connectivity as quickly as possible.“
The affected airports were Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines‘ busiest international hub, Philadelphia International Airport and New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport.
United waived flight change fees for travelers affected by the disruption. American Airlines, which operates a hub out of Philadelphia, also waived change fees and allowed customers to fly out of other airports.
More than 100 flights bound for Newark were forced to divert, according to Flightradar24, including international flights from Iceland, Egypt, Greece, Spain and France.
A United flight from Berlin diverted to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, while an SAS flight from Stockholm bound for Newark was sent to Washington Dulles International Airport.
Aging air traffic control equipment and technology issues have vexed airline executives for years. The Trump administration last year announced a multibillion-dollar overhaul of U.S. air traffic control equipment and resources.
“This incident underscores the need for additional funding to modernize aging infrastructure and prevent disruptions like this in the future,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X on Monday.
The disruptions happened hours before President Donald Trump and a host of international leaders were scheduled to arrive in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
