Flights grounded at JFK, LaGuardia, other US airports after air traffic system outage

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued ground stops at several major airports in the northeastern US after an equipment and communications failure disrupted air traffic control operations at a Philadelphia facility.

The disruption initially affected Philadelphia International, Newark Liberty International and Teterboro airports before expanding to New York’s John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports, along with Westchester County Airport. The outage has caused widespread delays and forced some flights to divert.

The problem is centered on certain frequencies at the FAA’s Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), which manages aircraft arriving at and departing from airports across the region.

More than 600 flights at Newark and Philadelphia had been delayed by about 1 p.m. ET, representing roughly 20 percent of scheduled flights at the two airports, according to FlightAware data cited by Reuters. Newark is a major United Airlines hub, while Philadelphia is an American Airlines hub.

Faulty links disrupt flight control

TRACON facilities use radar and radio systems to guide aircraft during approach and departure. A failure affecting communications frequencies at Philadelphia TRACON limited the facility’s ability to handle normal traffic levels.

“The FAA is pausing flights into Philadelphia International, Teterboro and Newark Liberty International airports due to issues with some frequencies at Philadelphia TRACON,” an FAA spokesperson said.

The FAA later expanded ground stops to additional airports as the disruption affected traffic across the Northeast. JFK warned passengers that arrivals and departures were experiencing delays because of an FAA equipment outage.

The disruption involved failures in the telecommunications circuits supporting the Philadelphia facility. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the primary circuit had failed and that a backup line had also been damaged. The backup fiber was severed during construction work in New Jersey.

A new circuit was being installed to restore connectivity, while repairs to the damaged backup line were expected to take longer.

Due to ATC equipment issues across the northeast, flights are being impacted across the country, including here at Boston Logan. Passengers should check with their airline before coming to the airport. Check flight status: https://t.co/UOlYmDK4kd pic.twitter.com/EGjgnGLBwm

— Boston Logan International Airport (@BostonLogan) September 21, 2026

Boston Logan International Airport also reported significant disruption, but its ground stop was separate from the initial Philadelphia equipment failure. Boston was handling additional traffic as flights were diverted from airportsaffected by the Philadelphia outage.

“Flights are being impacted across the country, including here at Boston Logan,” the airport said, urging travellers to check for delays before arriving at the airport.

Aging networks face fresh scrutiny

The outage came on the same day the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report examining cybersecurity risks affecting aircraftcommunications and FAA systems.

The GAO said FAA air traffic and communications systems remain vulnerable to threats including spectrum interference, spoofing and jamming. The watchdog also identified gaps in real-time monitoring and detection capabilities and said the FAA had not completed certain required risk assessments.

While Monday’s outage has no known connection to the GAO’s findings, it comes amid broader concerns over the reliability of the US air traffic control network, which has experienced several communications and equipment problems in recent years. The facility responsible for directing trafficaround Newark also suffered significant communications disruptions in May 2025.