An accidental cut to a Verizon fiber cable in New Jersey caused widespread flight disruptions on Monday. The cable was used for air traffic control, and its failure led to hundreds of cancelled or delayed flights across the United States.
The incident began when construction crews severed the cable, triggering a circuit failure that alerted officials to the problem. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the discovery of the severed fiber cable came after that circuit failure, underscoring how a single infrastructure break can ripple through the national aviation system.
The episode highlights the vulnerability of critical air travel systems to physical damage, even from routine construction work. No further details about repair timelines or additional impacts were provided in the report.