The Federal Aviation Administration issued ground stops for at least seven East Coast airports, in response to what the agency is describing as an equipment outage at an air traffic control facility in Pennsylvania.
As of mid-morning on September 21, ground stops were issued at airports in Boston, New York City, Newark, Teterboro, Philadelphia and Westchester. According to BBC News, an Amtrak construction crew accidentally cut into a fiber line in New Jersey, which caused a telecommunications outage at the FAA's Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility.
In a post to X, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the incident "underscores the need for additional funding to modernize aging infrastructure and prevent disruptions like this in the future."
As of noon on September 21, flights had resumed at LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport. Flights into Newark, John F. Kennedy Airport, and Teterboro remained paused. Travelers have been urged to check with their airlines for updates on delayed or canceled flights.
