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Many people faced long travel delays in the United States on Monday. More than 1,000 flights were canceled or delayed after an important communications cable was damaged.
Construction workers in New Jersey accidentally cut a fiber cable. This cable sends data for air traffic control, which helps guide airplanes safely in the sky.
Because the cable was cut, airplanes could not take off from major airports around New York City and across the Northeast.
Engineers fixed the line by Monday evening. Airplanes are moving again, but authorities say it will take time to clear all remaining delays.
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More than 1,000 flights were canceled or delayed across the United States on Monday following a major telecommunications failure in the Northeast. The travel disruption left thousands of passengers stranded at airports.
The problem occurred after construction crews in New Jersey accidentally severed a Verizon fiber-optic cable. The cable supplied crucial data lines for air traffic control, the system that manages aircraft movements. The failure led to ground stops at all three major airports serving New York City.
Transport officials and companies pointed fingers over who caused the damage. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that an Amtrak crew cut the cable. However, Amtrak stated that the incident happened on New Jersey Transit property and involved a New Jersey Transit contractor. Verizon also said it bore no responsibility for the event.
By Monday evening, Secretary Duffy confirmed that the telecommunication lines were repaired and airport operations in the Northeast were resuming. However, officials cautioned that clearing the backlogged flight delays would take time.