Yes. On September 21, 2026, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration halted incoming flights at major East Coast airports, including New York’s JFK and LaGuardia, plus Boston, Philadelphia, Newark, and nearby fields, after a failed telecom circuit and a severed fiber-optic cable disrupted air-traffic communications.
FlightAware reported more than 5,600 U.S. flights delayed or canceled that day, including about 1,200 at the three New York-area airports, as world leaders arrived for the U.N. General Assembly. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said an Amtrak construction crew accidentally cut a Verizon fiber line in New Jersey; FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said a Philadelphia TRACON circuit failure then found the backup fiber broken.
Source: Thousands of US flights snarled due to FAA telecom problem — Reuters