The Federal Aviation Administration said the disruption was traced to damaged Verizon telecommunications lines at a construction site in New Jersey. The damage affected a key data circuit used for air traffic operations.
When the system switched to a backup mode, officials discovered that the backup fibre connection had also been damaged, further disrupting communications and operational systems.
The outage led to ground stops at several major airports, including Newark Liberty International Airport, Teterboro Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Thousands of passengers were affected, with airlines reporting significant delays and cancellations as airport operations were disrupted across the region.
The incident has also renewed concerns about the condition of the United States' air traffic control infrastructure and the need to modernise ageing systems.
The FAA has been under pressure to improve the reliability and resilience of the country's air traffic network, particularly as passenger numbers and demand for air travel continue to grow.
Officials are now working to restore normal operations and assess the circumstances surrounding the equipment and communications failures.
For passengers, airlines have advised travellers to check their flight status before going to the airport, as delays and schedule changes may continue while operations fully recover.
Khalil Ibrahim Yaro
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