Key facts
- A Verizon fiber-optic cable was accidentally cut in New Jersey on Monday.
- The incident led to an air traffic control outage at a Philadelphia facility.
- 165 flights were diverted from Newark, LaGuardia, JFK, and Philadelphia airports.
- Newark Airport saw 109 diverted flights.
- United Airlines canceled 361 flights and delayed nearly 800.
- American Airlines canceled over 100 flights and delayed 1,300.
A severed Verizon fiber-optic cable in New Jersey on Monday caused significant air traffic disruptions across the northeastern United States, leading to 165 flight diversions and hundreds of cancellations. The incident triggered an outage at an air traffic control facility in Philadelphia responsible for managing flights in the region.
New Jersey Transit stated that its contractors were working near utility markings when the cable was cut, and an investigation is underway to determine responsibility. Data analyzed by Business Insider from Flightradar24 revealed that 165 flights scheduled to land at Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport were diverted.
Newark Airport was the most heavily impacted, with 109 diverted flights, while approximately 20 flights were diverted to each of the other three major airports. Washington Dulles International Airport became the most common diversion point, receiving 22 diverted airplanes, with another 10 flights rerouted to Lehigh Valley International Airport near Allentown, Pennsylvania. Five flights originating from Europe were forced to return to their departure cities, including a Lufthansa flight that U-turned over the Atlantic and a TAP Air Portugal flight that turned around mid-ocean.
United Airlines, which uses Newark as a major hub, was severely affected, canceling 361 flights, representing 11% of its schedule, and delaying nearly 800 flights. American Airlines also experienced significant disruption, with over 100 cancellations and 1,300 delays, not including its regional subsidiaries. Approximately five hours after the chaos began, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on X that the telecom lines had been repaired and airport operations were resuming. Despite the repairs, minor disruptions persisted into Tuesday morning, with a few dozen cancellations at Newark.