Hundreds of flights across the US East Coast were thrown into chaos on Monday after construction workers accidentally cut a critical air‑traffic‑control cable, forcing ground stops and widespread delays at major airports in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The disruption hit just one day before world leaders were due to arrive in New York for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), amplifying the impact on an already high‑pressure travel window.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed hours later that the damaged cable had been repaired and that airports would begin returning to normal operations — though he warned delays would continue as airlines worked through the backlog.
The outage affected the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) system, which guides aircraft during takeoff and landing. Transport officials said the cable was severed by NJ Transit construction workers, who told CBS News that markers had been incorrectly placed at the digging site.
The timing could hardly have been worse. Scores of heads of state and senior officials are flying into New York‑area airports for the UNGA, including UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who managed to board his flight before the delays began and is expected to arrive on schedule.
Airports across the region spent the afternoon scrambling to manage stranded passengers, rerouted flights and mounting congestion — a stark reminder of how a single infrastructure error can ripple across one of the world’s busiest air corridors.
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