Hundreds of Flights Canceled at US Northeast Airports; Canadian PM's UN Schedule Disrupted

Hundreds of flights were canceled across multiple airports in the northeastern United States on September 21 (local time) after a communication line linked to air traffic control centers was severed.

According to an announcement by the Department of Transportation, the incident affected all major airports in the New York City area on September 21, including LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport.

In particular, Newark Liberty International Airport saw commercial flights nearly halt for a period, with some 600 arrivals and departures canceled.

According to the flight tracking site Flightradar24, commercial flight landings at the airport were completely suspended from around 9:40 a.m. to around 5:20 p.m.

At Philadelphia International Airport, about 200 flights were canceled, and Logan International Airport in the Boston area was also affected.

According to UPI, as of the evening of September 21, some 900 flights were canceled and about 5,000 were delayed across the United States.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an online post, "(Although repairs have been made) it will take a little time to clear all the delays that currently exist."

According to the Department of Transportation, an issue occurred earlier that morning in the primary communication line connected to the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) air traffic control facility. The system attempted to switch to a backup fiber optic cable, but the cable was found to be severed.

Initial accounts regarding responsibility for the cable-cutting incident have conflicted.

Previously, Secretary Duffy pointed to a construction crew from the railroad company Amtrak, but Amtrak later claimed that a construction crew from New Jersey Transit caused the accident.

According to UPI, the damaged section of the communication line was around 600 feet (approximately 180 meters) long.

Telecommunications company Verizon stated that a construction subcontractor working in the area severed the company's fiber optic cable buried near the Amtrak railroad tracks in New Jersey, adding that it is working with contractors to restore communications as quickly as possible.

The travel disruptions occurred as 130 world leaders and dozens of ministers arrived in New York in succession for the high-level session of the UN General Assembly.

According to the Associated Press, Canadian Prime Minister KANNY was unable to attend a UN General Assembly side event that he was originally scheduled to attend due to the airport disruptions.

Prime Minister KANNY was originally scheduled to participate in and discuss at the Partnership for multilateralism (P4M) summit alongside European Council President Antonio Costa and Kenyan President William Ruto.

However, because Prime Minister KANNY could not arrive due to flight issues, Canadian Ambassador to the UN Bob Rae attended and spoke in his place.

Nevertheless, the Prime Minister's Office stated that Prime Minister KANNY had arrived in New York by the night of September 21.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.