Philadelphia TRACON telecommunications outage disrupts Northeast air traffic

A primary communications circuit failed at the FAA’s Philadelphia TRACON on Sept. 21, 2026, and its backup fiber line had been accidentally severed during railroad construction. Controllers lost radar or communications for hours, prompting ground stops and widespread flight delays and cancellations at Northeast airports. Officials said the damaged lines were repaired that evening and flights resumed, although delays continued to clear. No cyber activity was identified.