New York Airports Face Major Disruptions Due to ATC Failure
WHO:
Bloomberg - Air traffic control facility in Philadelphia involved in the disruption.
NBC New York - Newark Liberty International, John F. Kennedy International, and LaGuardia airports affected.
WHAT:
CNN - Newark saw more cancellations than any other airport in the world, with over 300 flights canceled, accounting for over half of the airport’s scheduled departures.
CNN - Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that repairs to the broken telecom lines have been completed and all airport operations are resuming.
CNN - A new circuit was expected to be installed Monday afternoon, with repairs potentially taking up to 13 hours.
Drudge Report - A ground stop was implemented at JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia airports due to a circuit failure.
Bloomberg - Flights at New York’s major airports were disrupted following a technical problem.
WHERE:
NBC New York - Newark Liberty International, John F. Kennedy International, and LaGuardia airports located in New York City.
WHEN:
NBC New York - The ground stop at Newark was reported to be nearing its 6th hour.
WHY:
CNN - The outage was caused by an aging circuit slated for replacement that failed, along with a break in the backup fiber when the system switched to backup mode.
Drudge Report - The disruption was caused by a circuit failure at the air traffic control facility.
HOW:
CNN - Verizon stated that construction contractors working near an Amtrak rail line dug up and cut their cable, leading to the outage.
Bloomberg - A ground stop was enacted as a response to the technical problem at the air traffic control facility.
(UPDATED September 21, 2026 23:59 UTC)
Newark Airport experienced the highest number of flight cancellations in the world, with over 300 flights grounded, which is more than half of its scheduled departures. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that repairs to the broken telecom lines have been completed, allowing all airport operations to resume, while a new circuit is expected to be installed on Monday afternoon, with repairs potentially taking up to 13 hours. The outage was caused by an aging circuit that failed and a break in the backup fiber, which occurred when the system switched to backup mode after construction contractors accidentally cut the cable while working near an Amtrak rail line.
--
(UPDATED September 21, 2026 19:59 UTC)
A ground stop has been implemented at Newark Liberty International, John F. Kennedy International, and LaGuardia airports due to a circuit failure at the air traffic control facility in Philadelphia. This disruption has caused significant delays, with the ground stop at Newark nearing its sixth hour. Flights at New York's major airports have been affected as a result of this technical problem, prompting the response from air traffic control.