The
travel nightmares
at
Newark Liberty International Airport
It continued into Tuesday, with 33 cancellations and 7
delays already
by 7:30 a.m. EDT.
Many of the problems stem from
Federal Aviation Administration
Controllers at the Philadelphia Tracon facility have taken medical leave following a brief loss of contact with aircraft at Newark just last week.
The agency stated that the recurrent issues with equipment and telecommunications can cause significant stress for controllers—many of whom have taken time off specifically to address their mental well-being.
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The runway construction has limited the airport to only one takeoff and landing path, which has contributed significantly to flight cancelations and delays. In response, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy along with local legislators are calling for explanations and backing for what is among the nation’s most heavily used airports.
Federal transportation authorities also seem to be paying attention.
ABC7
reported, and are expected to announce plans to modernize air traffic control technology by Thursday.
The outage last Monday at the airport caused air traffic control computer screens to go dark for around 60 to 90 seconds, multiple sources with knowledge of the incident said. That prevented controllers from talking to aircraft during that time.
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“Due to the event, the controllers took absence under the Federal Employees Compensation Act,” the union representing the air traffic controllers said in a statement. “This program covers all federal employees that are physically injured or experience a traumatic event on the job.”
The delays hit the airport on Monday this week, too, because of the staffing shortage, and that, paired with the runway construction delays and bad weather impacting the entire New York City metropolitan area, led to travel nightmares.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, called for an investigation into the “chaos” sparked by the shortage, thick cloud cover and construction. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he wants an inspector general’s investigation into the delays and cancellations to prevent them from getting worse or spreading.
Murphy, a Democrat, added that the delays are “completely and utterly unacceptable” in a post on X. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he’s “committed” to hiring more air traffic controllers.
The delays at the busy NYC-area airport made headlines over the weekend, with United Airlines saying it was cutting 35 daily flights from its schedule there.
On Monday, the FAA blamed the flight delays—lasting more than four hours—on a mix of staff shortages and cloudy weather conditions.
Meanwhile, United Airlines stated that over 20% of FAA controllers at Newark had quit their jobs, and due to their absence, Newark won’t be able to manage the planned volume of flights in the upcoming weeks and months.
Equipment failures have become frequent at the airport during the last seven days, according to officials. As a result, airline passengers may end up missing their flights or will need to rearrange their travel plans because of these holdups.
The Department of Transportation is apparently seeking solutions by considering implementing a strategy to recruit additional air traffic controllers before the peak summer travel period and also contemplating postponing the retirement of current employees.
A “flexibility” travel exemption enables individuals departing from or arriving at Newark Airport to alter their travel plans free of charge. Currently, there’s a travel warning advising passengers to verify their flight statuses prior to making their way to the terminal.
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