The Federal Aviation Administration has reported that flights at Newark Liberty International, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports are delayed because of an equipment outage. The issue is spreading beyond those three airports, affecting air traffic across the country.
A crew building the Delco Lead project between New Brunswick and North Brunswick cut through a fiber-optic cable, according to NJ Transit’s statement. The workers were digging roughly 10 feet away from the utility markings, and NJ Transit staff are now at the site trying to figure out if the markings came from Verizon or the contractor.
The failure started Monday morning, and its consequences are still being felt across the eastern passage. The known facts so far are presented below. Here is what each of the affected airports has been told about the outage.
The Outage at Philadelphia TRACON
On Monday morning, the FAA announced it was putting flights on hold into Philadelphia International, Teterboro and Newark Liberty International airports because of trouble with certain frequencies at Philadelphia TRACON. TRACON is Terminal Radar Approach Control, an air traffic control center that relies on radar and radios to steer planes as they approach and leave airports.
Administrator Bryan Bedford explained that the primary circuit in Philadelphia TRACON had failed, and that the backup line broke as well. Rather than a single cause, he said, the outage has two.
“That fiber break is probably 13 hours to repair. It’s massive, I’m told,” Bedford said.
Bedford revealed that a new circuit is being laid, and the division between New Brunswick and Newark marks the point where that work is taking place.
Ground Stops at JFK and LaGuardia
The FAA reports that ground stops were issued for JFK and LaGuardia before 5:30 p.m. The scheduled end times are 6:30 p.m. for JFK and 6:15 p.m. for LaGuardia.
More than a dozen regions across the U.S. and Canada were covered by the stop, with flights directed to the two airports. Here is the breakdown of where those flights came from:
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Cleveland
- Miami
- Toronto
- Montreal
Per the FAA, Newark’s current ground delay is set to end at 8:45 p.m.
The Order of the Outage
The timeline of the outage shows how quickly the effect spread:
- The construction crew severed the fiber-optic cable at approximately 9:45 a.m. Monday.
- The primary circuit in Philadelphia TRACON failed.
- The backup line also broke.
- The FAA paused flights into Philadelphia International, Teterboro and Newark Liberty International airports due to issues with frequencies at Philadelphia TRACON.
- Ground stops were ordered for JFK and LaGuardia just before 5:30 p.m.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday evening the situation is improving.
Duffy Says the Outage Is Improving
On Monday evening, Duffy indicated that the circumstances are getting better. The sequence of ground stops and the end of the Newark delay point toward the regional airports passing through the hardest point, though passengers should consult their airlines for current details on specific flights.
That the state of things is improving offers some comfort, but the basic issue — a crew severing a fiber line — remains unchanged. The FAA’s duty is to manage the results of that cut; the cause is not something the agency can control.
NJ Transit’s Statement on the Fiber Line
On Monday afternoon, NJ Transit released a statement detailing what went wrong. The agency said “At approximately 9:45 a.m. today, a construction crew working on the Delco Lead project between New Brunswick and North Brunswick accidentally severed a fiber-optic cable while working at the site,”; NJ Transit said.
“We’ve been made aware that this cable served as a back-up to a primary circuit system that failed.”
“Preliminary information indicates the crew was operating approximately 10 feet from the utility markings. NJ TRANSIT staff is currently on site working to determine the status of the repairs, while also determining whether it was Verizon or the contractor who made the utility markings at the site.”
“We will continue to work closely with Verizon and the contractor as the circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated. We will provide additional updates as information becomes available.”
The Scale of the Ripple Effect
More than a dozen regions across the U.S. and Canada saw flights affected by the FAA’s ground stop orders, which were triggered by delays at JFK and LaGuardia.
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Cleveland
- Miami
- Toronto
- Montreal
The list of regions hit by the outage shows how far a single cut can travel. A fiber line in New Jersey has now turned into a problem for airlines in Boston, Cleveland and Montreal.
Repairing the Fiber Line
According to Bedford, the cut falls somewhere between New Brunswick and Newark. He said a new circuit is being installed, and his estimate for the repair is 13 hours.
The 13-hour figure is notable because it suggests the outage was not a quick fix. When a primary circuit fails and a backup line is also broken, the FAA has to install a new circuit from scratch, and that takes time.
The Aftermath for Travelers
Passengers should turn to their airlines for the most current information regarding individual flights. The hold at Newark is set to end at 8:45 p.m., while the stoppages at JFK and LaGuardia are planned to run until 6:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., respectively.
A spokesperson for Boston’s Logan Airport confirmed they were “getting a lot of diversions from impacted airports.” Those diversions mean some flights that were already in the air when the ground stops went into effect were sent to other airports instead of their original destinations.
What Happens Next
Bedford’s estimate places the repair at 13 hours. Passengers should brace for delays at the airports affected by the ground stops, along with Newark, where the ground delay is set to run until 8:45 p.m.
What stands out most in this account is the size of the ripple effect. A single fiber line cut in New Jersey ended up causing trouble for airlines in Boston, Cleveland, Miami, Toronto and Montreal.
The administrator of the FAA said that the primary circuit in Philadelphia TRACON failed. He also said that the backup line broke, leaving the facility without working frequencies.
See the video the story is built around at CBS News.
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