U.S. halts flights at busy East Coast airports, says fiber line cut at construction site

The Federal Aviation Administration ​halted flights at busy East Coast airports in New York, ‌Philadelphia and Boston on Monday (September 21, 2026), saying ​a fiber cable was accidentally cut at ⁠a construction site in New Jersey, U.S.A.

Ground stops were issued for John F. Kennedy Airport and LaGuardia airports, as ‌well as an airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, as 130 world leaders and dozens ‌of ministers are arriving in New York for ‌the ⁠annual high-level meeting of the United Nations ⁠General Assembly.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters a backup fiber line had been cut accidentally by a construction crew ​in New Jersey, prompting significant ‌flight cuts.

He said a new circuit would be operational imminently. It was not clear when the ground stops at the New York-area airports would ‌be lifted.