U.S. East Coast Airports Gradually Resume Operations After Communications Line Cut Causes Temporary Shutdown

[Financial News] Flights at major airports across the U.S. Northeast are gradually resuming after damage to communications lines at a key air traffic control facility in Philadelphia was repaired. Operations had been disrupted for several hours.
The disruption occurred on the 21st (local time) after the main communications line at a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) control facility in Philadelphia failed, followed by the backup fiber-optic cable being severed by railroad construction workers. As a result, controllers were unable to use radar and communications equipment for several hours, creating an unprecedented situation.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced via social media that repairs had been completed. He said, "Flights have resumed after the damaged communications lines were repaired, but it will take time to fully clear the delays that accumulated during the disruption."
The incident severely affected major airports in the New York and New Jersey areas. At Newark Liberty International Airport, more than 600 flights were canceled, while commercial aircraft landings were effectively halted from 9:40 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. More than 200 flights were canceled at Philadelphia International Airport, while New York's LaGuardia Airport and JFK Airport also experienced severe disruptions. The outage added to the confusion as U.S. President Donald Trump and leaders from various countries were arriving in New York to attend the UN General Assembly. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was reportedly already en route to the United States before the communications-line incident occurred.
An investigation found that the disruption occurred while the system was switching to a backup system immediately after a circuit failure in the main communications line. The FAA explained that it carried out emergency repairs by installing a new circuit in the main line after determining that the backup fiber-optic cable had been severely damaged. Transportation Secretary Duffy blamed a construction team from U.S. rail operator Amtrak for cutting the communications line, but Amtrak countered that workers from NJ Transit were responsible.
The Philadelphia control facility where the disruption occurred was also responsible for major delays at Newark Airport last spring. As part of a comprehensive overhaul of the national air traffic control system, the U.S. government plans to replace the aging circuit. Major airlines are offering affected passengers fee-free itinerary changes, while the FAA urged travelers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.

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