FAA Grounds Northeast Flights

A New Jersey construction crew cut a fiber-optic cable, triggering a telecom outage that disrupted FAA air traffic control operations across the Northeast. Verizon said contractors dug up its cable and that Verizon was not responsible, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and initial reports identified an Amtrak crew. The failure began at Philadelphia TRACON, a regional control facility, after a primary circuit failed and controllers found the backup fiber was also damaged. The FAA ordered ground stops and delays at Newark, Philadelphia, Teterboro, JFK and LaGuardia. United Airlines and American Airlines offered travel flexibility as hundreds of flights were canceled. FAA officials said LaGuardia and Philadelphia were resuming service, while repairs continued elsewhere.