Air traffic control outages and system security warnings

UK and US air traffic systems face outages and security concerns with investigations into software faults and impersonation risks.

3 stories167 sourcesUpdated Sep 21, 2026

In this storyline:Teterboro Airport The Federal Aviation Administration Newark Liberty International Airport Philadelphia TRACON

Air traffic control outages and system security warnings — Photo: Mehul / Wikimedia Commons (Pexels)

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total articles across this storyline · last 72h

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Sep 21, 5 PMdots mark key developments · hover for any hourSep 21, 9 PM

Key developments

Sep 21, 2026
NATS Prestwick failure disrupts UK flights due to legacy software defect in squawk code allocation.
127 sources on this →
Sep 21, 2026
GAO warns FAA air traffic systems can be intercepted or impersonated lacking common encryption.
8 sources on this →
Sep 21, 2026
FAA issues ground stops at Newark, Philadelphia and Teterboro after Philadelphia TRACON circuit failure.
32 sources on this →

Coverage across the spectrum

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Stories in this storyline

Travel

NATS Prestwick Failure Disrupts UK Flights

Investigations into the September 8 UK air-traffic outage point to a software defect in the National Airspace System that allocated squawk codes, with officials saying a legacy, previously unknown fault triggered the disruption. Authorities have ruled out a cyber attack or military operation, and a CAA-led independent review is planned to assess fixes and resilience going forward.

127 sources

Tech

GAO Warns FAA Air Traffic Systems Can Be Intercepted or Impersonated

Jamming hit a Spanish military jet carrying the defense minister in 2025; GAO finds U.S. air-traffic links can be impersonated and still lack common encryption.

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FAA Ground Stops Newark, Philadelphia, Teterboro Flights

FAA ground-stopped Newark, Philadelphia and Teterboro on Sept. 21, 2026 after a Philadelphia TRACON circuit failed and its fiber backup broke; Flightradar24 logged 92 Newark cancellations and nearly 70 diversions.

32 sources