Newark travelers should plan for delays Tuesday after a cut fiber line halted NYC-area flights
Ground stops at Newark, JFK and LaGuardia have been lifted, but delays are expected Tuesday at Newark as airlines recover from Monday's telecom outage.
Passengers flying from Newark Liberty International Airport should plan for delays on Tuesday while airlines dig out from Monday’s telecom outage, which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to stop flights at Newark, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports.
Flights at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and at Philadelphia’s main airport were halted too, and delays spread across the Northeast. Some flights were canceled, some turned around and landed, and travelers stood in long lines to rebook and get their luggage back. “They’ve left us all on our own,” said passenger Liz Kettlewell, who faulted the way stranded travelers were treated.
What caused the Newark and JFK ground stops
Trouble started Sunday near New Brunswick, where a construction crew accidentally sliced through a fiber-optic cable. That cable was a spare, meant to carry communications once a key circuit went down at a site in Philadelphia. The FAA traced the equipment problems to Philadelphia TRACON, the control center that directs Newark’s air traffic. The broken circuit is expected to be replaced.
Whose crew cut the backup line is not settled. The FAA blamed an Amtrak construction crew working in New Jersey. NJ Transit is trying to establish whether a Verizon crew severed the cable along a rail corridor, and Verizon has said NJ Transit was at fault.
Are flights back to normal at NYC airports
On Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the telecom lines were fixed and operations were resuming, and every ground stop has since been lifted. He cautioned that airports and airlines would need time to work through the leftover delays. Duffy and the FAA both said the episode shows why more money is needed to modernize aging infrastructure.
Before leaving for the airport, travelers are urged to check their flight on the FAA’s status tracker at www.fly.faa.gov, follow @FAANews or use their airline’s app.
Quick answers
Are flights still delayed at Newark airport?
Delays are expected Tuesday at Newark as airlines work through the backlog, though all ground stops have been lifted.
What caused the ground stops at Newark, JFK and LaGuardia?
A construction crew cut a backup fiber-optic line in New Jersey that was meant to take over after a key circuit failed at a Philadelphia facility, disrupting air traffic control communications.
How can I check my flight status?
Travelers are urged to check the FAA tracker at www.fly.faa.gov, follow @FAANews or use their airline's app.
