NEWARK, NJ – Flights around Newark International Airport were sent in circles on Monday afternoon after an equipment outage diverted landings and caused flight delays across the country.

A ground stop was issued at EWR at 1:53 p.m. due to an equipment failure, effectively grounding departures headed to Newark through at least 5 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA said in a statement that the delays were due to telecommunications and equipment issues at Philadelphia TRACON, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark. By 4 p.m., both issues were resolved, but the FAA said there were also staffing issues at Philadelphia.

“Due to FAA equipment outage, arrivals and departures are currently delayed at EWR. Please contact your airline for flight status,” Newark airport officials wrote on X. 

Flight tracker Flightaware.com shows United Airlines Flight 1321 flying in circles around the New Jersey airspace instead of heading toward Los Angeles International Airport, its destination.

Departures from Newark were delayed by over 2 hours, and arrivals were delayed by about 15 minutes. 

Flightaware’s Misery Map shows delays mounting on Monday afternoon from the ongoing outage.

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