Travel hell with flights into three major airports ‘paused’

Flights have been ‘paused’ into Philadelphia, Teterboro and Newark

Air passengers in the US are confronting severe travel disruption today as inbound flights to three major airports have been halted following a major equipment outage.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that services into Philadelphia International, Teterboro, and Newark Liberty International are affected, resulting in widespread delays and cancellations. A ground stop was enacted around 10:00 am EDT (3:00 pm BST) until at least 12:45 pm EDT (5:45 pm BST), leaving dozens of aircraft stranded on runways awaiting departure clearance.

An FAA spokesperson explained that inbound flights were paused due to frequency communication issues at Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), the facility responsible for managing regional air traffic using radar and radio systems, reports The Express.

According to the FAA website, departures from both Newark and Philadelphia are facing delays of up to 150 minutes. Flightradar24 tracking data shows numerous planes waiting on tarmac areas, while several incoming flights have been forced to divert to alternative destinations.

Authorities have not yet provided an explanation for the technical failure, and it remains uncertain how long operations will take to fully recover.

Passengers due to fly today are being urged to contact their airline regarding its flight status. A spokesperson for Newark Airport said: “Due to an FAA equipment outage, arrivals and departures are currently delayed at EWR. Please contact your airline for flight status.”