Fiber Optic Cable Cut Disrupts Air Travel Across U.S. East Coast

Air travel across the U.S. East Coast was severely disrupted after a fiber optic cable was accidentally cut during construction work, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations and delays, U.S. officials said on Monday.

According to flight tracking website FlightAware, as of 7:00 p.m. GMT, Newark Liberty International Airport had recorded 168 flight cancellations and 97 delays. At Philadelphia International Airport, 63 flights were canceled and 189 were delayed.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X that flight operations resumed at LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport by 7:00 p.m. However, flights remained temporarily suspended at Newark Liberty International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

Duffy said an Amtrak construction crew in New Jersey accidentally cut a fiber optic cable, disrupting telecommunications systems. As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was forced to temporarily halt flight operations across parts of the northeastern United States.

Speaking at a media briefing on new air traffic technology, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said two separate issues contributed to Monday's disruption. The primary telecommunications line experienced an initial failure, and officials later discovered that the backup fiber optic cable had also been severed.

Bedford said the backup line sustained significant damage due to the construction error. He expressed hope that the primary communications system would be fully restored by midday, while repairs to the backup fiber line could take approximately 13 hours.