PHILADELPHIA â A Federal Aviation Administration equipment outage triggered ground stops and mounting flight delays at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday, with disruption spreading to Newark Liberty International and Teterboro airports.
The restrictions began at approximately 9:48 a.m. EDT after problems were reported with radio frequencies at Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, commonly known as Philadelphia TRACON.
âThe FAA is pausing flights into Philadelphia International, Teterboro and Newark Liberty International airports due to issues with some frequencies at Philadelphia TRACON,â an FAA spokesperson said in a statement reported by CBS News New York.
An FAA equipment outage is impacting airports in the northeast US this morning. Flights to from Philadelphia through the New York area are being affected by diversions and ground stops. pic.twitter.com/FHq94VAVMm
â Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) September 21, 2026
Philadelphia TRACON uses radar and radio systems to guide aircraft approaching and departing airports across the region. The FAA has not disclosed what caused the frequency problems or estimated when the affected equipment will be fully repaired.
Philadelphia flights delayed as ground stop is extended
The initial Philadelphia ground stop was expected to end around 11:15 a.m. However, the FAA later extended restrictions on flights headed to the airport until at least 12:45 p.m. EDT.
The FAAâs Philadelphia airport status page said aircraft scheduled to depart other airports for PHL would not be permitted to leave before the revised time.
Flights departing from Philadelphia were still operating, although passengers faced gate-hold and taxi delays ranging from 46 minutes to one hour. The FAA said those delays were increasing, while arriving aircraft were also experiencing airborne holding.
Independent flight-tracking data showed that planes continued to arrive and depart during the restrictions. Shortly before noon, FlightAware reported average delays of about 49 minutes for departing flights and 39 minutes for airborne arrivals.
The figures indicate that the airport was operating at reduced capacity rather than being completely closed. Nevertheless, the ground stop created a growing backlog that could continue affecting schedules after the technical restriction is lifted.
Newark and Teterboro also affected
The Philadelphia TRACON outage had consequences beyond Pennsylvania because the facility also handles aircraft moving through airspace connected to Newark Liberty International Airport.
The FAAâs Newark status page showed that flights bound for Newark were also being held until at least 12:45 p.m. EDT. Departures from Newark were experiencing gate and taxi delays of between two hours and two hours 15 minutes, with waiting times continuing to rise.
Teterboro Airport, which serves a large volume of private and business aircraft in northern New Jersey, was included in the FAAâs statement about the affected airports.
The disruption comes as aviation authorities face renewed questions about the resilience of air traffic control infrastructure. A separate air traffic control failure disrupted flights across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England on the same day.
Passengers travelling through Philadelphia, Newark or Teterboro should check their airlineâs website or mobile application before leaving for the airport. Even after the ground stops end, delayed aircraft, displaced crews and congested gates may cause knock-on disruption throughout the day.
This is a developing story. Flight restrictions and delay estimates may change as the FAA issues new operational updates.
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