Several airports in the northeastern US faced ground stops and flight delays on Monday after an equipment failure disrupted communications at an FAA facility in Philadelphia.
Cause
The FAA said the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility experienced problems with radio frequencies and communications.
According to officials, a primary communications circuit failed, while a backup fiber-optic cable also had a break. The outage affected the facility’s ability to manage air traffic in the region.
Airports affected by the equipment outage
The disruption led to ground stops and delays at several airports, including:
Newark Liberty International (EWR) — Ground stop
Philadelphia International (PHL) — Ground stop and ground delay
Teterboro (TEB) — Ground stop
John F. Kennedy International (JFK) — Ground stop
LaGuardia (LGA) — Ground delay
Westchester County (HPN) — Ground stop
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) also experienced ground delays or stops at times, partly because diverted flights added to traffic.
The GAO cybersecurity warning
The disruption came as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report warning that some FAA systems used to guide aircraft could be vulnerable to spoofing, jamming and other attacks on radio communications.
{{/usCountry}}The disruption came as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report warning that some FAA systems used to guide aircraft could be vulnerable to spoofing, jamming and other attacks on radio communications.
{{/usCountry}}The report said attackers could potentially send fake messages to aircraft, including false information about flight clearances. Such attacks could disrupt air traffic, cause delays and create safety risks.
The GAO also found that two systems used to send text messages to aircraft were developed before modern cybersecurity standards and lack protections such as encryption.
Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who has raised concerns about cybersecurity and privacy, called the vulnerabilities a serious concern for national security, the economy and aviation safety.
“The FAA needs to issue new standards, as soon as possible, to protect the security of airline communications,” Wyden said.
However, there is no indication that Monday’s equipment outage was caused by a cyberattack. The FAA attributed the disruption to failures involving its communications infrastructure.