America's air traffic control system relies on eBay parts and ancient Compaq computers, US officials warn

From the Newshound archive · first published 23 September 2026.

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that the US air traffic network runs on a "40-year-old architecture" so fragile that a single severed cable can ground the entire Northeast. Monday's chaos — thousands of flights delayed or cancelled — was triggered by a Philadelphia circuit failure and a fibre-optic line cut by a construction crew in New Jersey. The FAA remains dependent on legacy equipment despite billions spent on upgrades.