Flights at several major Northeast airports are resuming on Sept. 21 after an Amtrak construction crew accidentally cut a fiber-optic line in New Jersey, causing a telecommunications outage that disrupted thousands of flights.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an update on Monday evening that the affected telecom lines had been repaired, and that “all airport operations in the Northeast are resuming.”
“It will take some time to clear all existing delays, so please check with your airline for the latest information,” Duffy said.
Flights had resumed earlier at New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport, while incoming flights remained paused at Newark Liberty International, John F. Kennedy International, and Teterboro airports.
“This incident underscores the need for additional funding to modernize aging infrastructure and prevent disruptions like this in the future,” Duffy said in a post on X.
Amtrak didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The flight-tracking website FlightAware reported more than 5,600 U.S. flights were delayed or canceled. There were 1,200 flights delayed or canceled from the three New York-area airports.
The outage occurred as around 130 world leaders along with ministers were arriving in New York City for an annual U.N. meeting that starts Sept. 22 and goes until Sept. 28.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the disruption began when the primary communications circuit at the agency’s Philadelphia air traffic control facility failed. Officials then discovered that a construction crew had severed the backup fiber line in New Jersey.
Bedford said incoming flights would remain halted until the FAA determined that the airspace was safe.
Congress provided $12.5 billion in 2025 to begin overhauling the nation’s air traffic control system, an amount Duffy has described as a down payment. He said Sept. 21 that lawmakers must approve an additional $17.5 billion to complete the modernization effort.
“This is unacceptable in America,” Duffy said.
The Transportation Department’s plan calls for replacing telecommunications equipment with fiber-optic, wireless, and satellite technology at more than 4,600 locations. It also includes installing 25,000 radios and 475 voice switches, replacing 618 radars that have exceeded their intended service lives, and constructing six air traffic control centers.
The department also plans to replace towers and Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities, known as TRACONs, and install common hardware and software across air traffic facilities.
Duffy unveiled the plan in May 2025, saying decades of neglect had left the country dependent on outdated technology. The department said newer equipment would reduce outages, improve efficiency, and strengthen aviation safety.
Reuters contributed to this report.
