Northeast Airspace Closure Disrupts Flights Due to Equipment Outages
FAA reports equipment failures at Philadelphia and Newark airports led to a temporary airspace shutdown.
Air traffic in parts of the Northeast was temporarily halted for at least 30 minutes on Monday due to equipment outages affecting flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the disruptions after a circuit failure at a Philadelphia air traffic control facility. According to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, the primary circuit failed, and subsequent inspection of the backup system revealed it had been severed at a New Jersey construction site.
In response to the need to address the damaged circuit in Philadelphia, the FAA initiated a closure of the Northeast airspace. This measure resulted in the diversion of some inbound flights to alternative airports.