Thousands of flights across the United States were delayed or cancelled on Monday after a telecommunications failure disrupted air traffic operations at several major airports before the Federal Aviation Administration restored normal service.
The disruption began at about 9:45am after workers accidentally damaged a telecommunications line in New Jersey used by the FAA.
The outage forced authorities to suspend incoming flights at major airports along the US East Coast as about 130 world leaders and several ministers arrived in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
The FAA halted arrivals at New York’s three major airports, as well as airports in Philadelphia and Boston and two smaller airports serving the New York area.
The disruption lasted about eight hours before services gradually resumed.
According to FlightAware, about 7,000 flights were delayed or cancelled, including roughly 1,400 at the three major New York-area airports. More than half of flights at Newark Airport, a major United Airlines hub, were cancelled, while more than 100 flights were diverted to other airports.
US Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, said late Monday that the damaged telecommunications lines had been repaired and that normal operations across the Northeast were returning.
However, he warned that it would take time to clear the backlog and advised passengers to check their flight status.
New Jersey Transit said a crew had been working at a site about 10 feet from utility markings when the damage occurred.
Duffy initially blamed an Amtrak construction crew for cutting a fibre line near New Brunswick, but Amtrak denied responsibility.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the disruption was linked to a failed circuit at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, which provides communications for the affected airspace.
Authorities later discovered that a backup fibre line had also been damaged by construction work.
“The timing is absolutely horrible and I’m very sorry for the delays and cancellations,” Bedford told reporters.
He stressed that safety was the top priority. “We’re going to do what is necessary to make sure the airspace is safe.”
Bedford said the backup fibre line could take about 13 hours to repair, but a replacement circuit was already available for installation.
Philadelphia and Boston subsequently resumed operations, while Newark and LaGuardia airports also reopened to arriving flights.
The incident has renewed concerns over the condition of the ageing US air traffic control system.
Congress approved $12.5bn last year for upgrades and increased hiring of air traffic controllers, while Duffy said another $17.5bn was needed to complete the modernisation programme.
