Hundreds of flights disrupted after Verizon fiber cut hits New York area airports

9/22/2026

Verizon fiber cut disrupts NYC and Philadelphia flights, canceling hundreds FAA delays, diversions, and waived fees hit travelers as service gets restored

Hundreds of flights were canceled, delayed, or diverted on Monday after a Verizon fiber cable was accidentally cut during construction in New Jersey, affecting air traffic operations in the New York City area and Philadelphia. The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flights bound for Newark, Philadelphia, LaGuardia, and JFK after a backup data feed used by air traffic controllers was lost. The disruption forced nearly 100 aircraft to divert, including longhaul international flights, while more than 600 Newark flights and more than 200 Philadelphia flights were canceled or delayed during the day. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said service was resuming after repairs, and Verizon said its technicians were working to restore connectivity. United Airlines and American Airlines waived change fees for affected travelers as airlines adjusted schedules and crews around the outage.