Archive · 22 Sep 2026
FAA Outage Disrupts Northeast Flights, Ground Stops Hit Three Airports
A problem with air-traffic-control equipment disrupted many flights in the northeastern United States.
Flights heading to several airports were held at their starting airports.
The affected airports included JFK, LaGuardia and Newark.
The main equipment failure happened at an FAA facility near Philadelphia.
It caused some airports to lose important radio and radar services.
A damaged fiber-optic line in New Jersey made the disruption worse.
More than 1,000 flights were delayed or canceled.
Many Newark flights were sent to other airports instead.
The damaged communications lines were repaired by the evening.
Airport operations resumed, but some delays continued.
An FAA equipment outage disrupted flights across the US Northeast on Monday.
Ground stops affected JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Teterboro, Philadelphia and Westchester County airports.
A circuit failure at Philadelphia’s radar-control facility caused the loss of radio and radar equipment serving several airports.
More than 1,000 flights were delayed or canceled, while 107 Newark flights were diverted to 34 airports.
Telecommunications lines were repaired by 6 pm, and airport operations began resuming, although residual delays were expected.
- Who
- The Federal Aviation Administration, airport operators, airlines and passengers were affected; FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy provided updates.
- What
- An FAA equipment outage caused ground stops, flight delays, cancellations and diversions across several Northeast airports.
- When
- The disruption occurred on Monday, beginning around 10 am; telecommunications lines were repaired by 6 pm.
- Where
- Affected airports included John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Teterboro Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Westchester County Airport.
- Why
- A circuit failure at the FAA’s Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control facility disrupted radio and radar equipment, while a fiber-optic line in New Jersey was damaged during construction work.
- Affected region
- The US Northeast
- Affected airports
- JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Teterboro, Philadelphia and Westchester County
- Primary FAA failure
- A circuit failure at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control facility
- Flight impact
- More than 1,000 delays or cancellations were reported
- Newark diversions
- 107 flights were diverted to 34 airports, affecting 25 airlines
- Most affected airline
- United Airlines, with 70 Newark diversions
- Service restoration
- Telecommunications lines were repaired by 6 pm, with operations resuming