Technical Issues at Key Air Traffic Control Center Delay Flights in Northeast U.S.
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
Hundreds of flights were canceled in the Northeast United States due to technical problems at a key regional air traffic control center; activity at major airports in the New York City area was halted for several hours on Monday, just as numerous foreign leaders were traveling to attend the United Nations General Assembly. However, President Donald Trump's flight from Washington to New York was able to take off as scheduled. The technical issues occurred at the same Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facilities in Philadelphia that caused numerous disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport in the spring of 2025. Regional control centers like these have two data transmission lines: the primary and the backup. The FAA reported that a circuit on the primary line failed on Monday morning, and when the system attempted to switch to the backup line, workers discovered that the fiber optic line had been cut. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that the responsibility lay with an Amtrak construction crew. The disruption affected flights heading to Philadelphia, as well as to Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark airports. By early afternoon, some flights began to resume at LaGuardia, Kennedy, and Philadelphia. However, significant delays were expected for the rest of the day. Some airlines allowed their customers to change flights without incurring additional fees. The FAA advised travelers to check the status of their flights with their airline before heading to the airport. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told the press that the agency is working to restore the primary connection as soon as possible by installing a new circuit on that line while also addressing the repair of the backup fiber optic line. He indicated that it is unclear how long this task will take. Verizon reported that its technicians are working to restore service as quickly as possible. 'Repairing that fiber break will likely take 13 hours. It's a huge outage,' Bedford stated, according to a video posted online by a CBS transportation journalist. He noted that the FAA might be able to install a new circuit to reactivate the primary line even before the fiber line is repaired. The failed primary circuit is scheduled to be replaced as part of the modernization of the country's air traffic control system. Also on Monday, the FAA began testing a new computer system that uses artificial intelligence to help predict scheduling conflicts and weather issues, making it easier for air traffic controllers to reroute traffic. However, this system is initially being tested only in the Washington D.C. area, so it does not appear to be related to the service disruptions.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
