A single fiber optic cable cut by construction workers in New Jersey on 2026-09-21 caused ground stops and delays at major airports in New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia. Repairs were expected to take approximately 13 hours.
On September 21, 2026, the US Federal Aviation Administration halted flights at major East Coast airports in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston after a fiber optic telecommunications cable was accidentally cut at a construction site. The outage affected airports including JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia.
On September 21, 2026, a fiber optic cable accidentally cut at a construction site caused ground stops at major East Coast airports including New York's JFK and LaGuardia, Philadelphia, and Boston, disrupting thousands of flights as world leaders arrived for the UN meeting. Flights resumed later that day.