President Iliana Iotova's Flight Diverted to Boston Due to Temporary Closure of Airports in New York

Due to the temporary closure of airports in New York and the cancellation of numerous flights, President Iliana Iotova, who was due to arrive on a commercial flight this afternoon, is currently in Boston, where the flight she was on was diverted. Further information is expected on when the head of state will be able to depart for New York to attend the UN General Assembly session.

President Iotova Is Traveling to New York for 81st UN General Assembly Session

The disruption was caused by a cable needed for air traffic control being severed by construction crews.

The damage has affected the system used to guide aircraft during take-off and landing. The incident occurred during construction work in New Jersey.

The flight suspension affected New York, Boston and Philadelphia. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, traffic has already resumed at New York’s Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.

The incident comes as the city is hosting 130 foreign leaders for the annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly. It is not yet clear when flights will resume in Philadelphia and Newark.

Nationwide, 4,000 flights have been delayed and 500 cancelled.

The disruption highlights the vulnerability of the ageing US air traffic control system. Last year, Congress allocated $12.5 billion to modernise it.