Newark and Philadelphia airports ground stop update: FAA equipment outage delays flights, causes disruptions

The disruption is linked to problems with some frequencies at a Philadelphia air traffic control facility.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it is temporarily halting some incoming flights into Philadelphia, Newark Liberty and Teterboro, New Jersey, airports due to air traffic control communications issues.

Newark and Philadelphia Airports Face Ground Stops as FAA Equipment Outage Delays Flights. (UnSplash)

The issue is tied to some frequencies at a Philadelphia air traffic control facility that handles air traffic for the airports.

FlightAware, a flight-tracking site, said more than 600 flights at Newark and Philadelphia, or more than 20%, had been delayed at Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control. Newark is a major United Airlines hub, while Philadelphia is an American Airlines hub.

The issue has also forced the diversion of a number of flights to other airports. Flightradar24, a flight-tracking site, said flights were being delayed by an average of 112 minutes at Newark.

In May 2025, the facility that guides air traffic in and out of Newark airport suffered a series of significant communications outages.

The FAA said last year a telecommunications outage impacted communications and radar displays at Philadelphia TRACON.

Last year, Congress approved $12.5 billion to ⁠address the aging air traffic control system, and boost controller hiring following decades of complaints over airport ​congestion and flight delays and a series of technology ​issues ⁠in recent years.