Construction workers cut backup cable and grounded over 1,000 flights across the US Northeast, leaving Newark at a standstill for hours

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.

A severed fibre optic cable at a New Jersey rail construction site knocked out the backup communications system for the FAA's Philadelphia air traffic control facility on Monday, grounding flights across six major airports for much of the day. Newark Liberty saw no commercial landings for nearly eight hours, while more than 600 flights into and out of the airport were cancelled. Over 1,000 flights nationwide were grounded and more than 5,600 delayed before Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed repairs were complete by Monday evening.

The primary circuit at Philadelphia's TRACON facility had already failed before controllers discovered the backup fibre line had ALSO been cut, leaving radar and radio guidance down for hours.

Amtrak, NJ Transit and Verizon traded blame over who was responsible for severing the cable, with officials giving conflicting accounts throughout the day.

The chaos struck as Trump and over 130 world leaders flew into New York for the UN General Assembly, with Canadian PM Mark Carney missing a side event due to the disruption.