# A cut cable disrupted hundreds of flights across the US

> Construction crews accidentally severed a critical Verizon fiber line, grounding flights across the Northeast.
- Title: A cut cable disrupted hundreds of flights across the US
- Summary: Construction crews accidentally severed a critical Verizon fiber line, grounding flights across the Northeast. A single severed telecommunications cable can…
- Keywords: verizon, fiber cable, air traffic control, new jersey, flight disruption, faa, amtrak, new jersey transit, northeast airports, infrastructure failure, technology, culture
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/transportation/998550/a-cut-cable-disrupted-hundreds-of-flights-across-the-us
- Author: TC Sottek
- Published: 2026-09-21T23:48:56+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: verizon, fiber cable, air traffic control, new jersey, flight disruption, faa, amtrak, new jersey transit, northeast airports, infrastructure failure, technology, culture
## A cable cut grounds hundreds of flights
Construction crews in New Jersey accidentally severed a Verizon fiber cable used for air traffic control on Monday, causing hundreds of flight cancellations and delays across the Northeast.
## Ground stops hit all major NYC airports
The outage caused ground stops at all three major New York City airports as the FAA discovered a circuit failure linked to the severed fiber cable.
## Blame game over who cut the line
Verizon blamed construction contractors. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Amtrak cut it, but Amtrak blamed a New Jersey Transit contractor instead.

> This incident occurred on New Jersey Transit property and involved a New Jersey Transit contractor.
## Over 1,000 flights cancelled nationwide
By Monday evening, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled across the US as the outage rippled through the aviation system.
## Cable repaired but delays persist
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said telecom lines were repaired and Northeast airport operations resumed, but clearing existing delays would take time.

> the telecom lines have been repaired, and all airport operations in the Northeast are resuming
## Key takeaway

A single severed telecommunications cable can cascade into massive travel disruptions affecting thousands of passengers.