Topline
Newark Liberty International Airport faced a significant amount of flight delays Sunday due to air traffic control issues, days after United Airlines announced it was canceling dozens of flights due to technological and air traffic control issues.
Key Facts
More than 140 flights out of Newark had been delayed and 56 had been canceled as of just after 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, and 184 flights into Newark had been delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
Sunday is the seventh-straight day air traffic controller shortages have led to delays at Newark Liberty, according to CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean.
On Saturday, 44% of all flights—226—leaving from Newark were delayed and 48% of flights arriving at Newark were delayed.
The delays continued after United Airlines announced Friday it was canceling 35 roundtrip flights daily from Newark starting this weekend in response to air traffic technology failing and “resulting in dozens of diverted flights, hundreds of delayed and canceled flights and worst of all, thousands of customers with disrupted travel plans.”
United CEO Scott Kirby said the “technology issues were compounded as over 20% of the FAA controllers for EWR walked off the job.
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Big Number
440. That’s how many flights United and United Express operated out of Newark daily before the cuts, making it the airline traveling most frequently out of the airport, the Associated Press reported.
How Long Are The Delays?
As of just after 3 p.m. EDT, the FAA said gate hold and taxi delays were averaging between 1 hour and 15 minutes and 1 hour and 29 minutes.
What Challenges Has Newark Been Having?
In social media posts starting around 3 p.m. EDT on April 28, Newark said it was experiencing an “FAA equipment outage” causing arrivals and departures to be delayed at EWR. On May 1 and May 2, EWR tweeted that there were delays due to “FAA staffing issues and construction.” One of Newark’s runways is closed until mid-June so it can be repaired as part of a $121 million project, and the closure is prompting the redirecting of flights to other runways, causing slight delays. Thunderstorms caused additional delays at Newark on Saturday, according to its social media.
What Air Traffic Control Issues Are Happening?
The FAA has said in updates all week that EWR has been facing ground delays due to staffing, but it hasn’t commented on the reasoning behind the staffing issues, CNN reported. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a plan Thursday to “supercharge the air traffic controller workforce, which is suffering from a nationwide shortage.” In a press release, USDOT said the package of actions will “allow more of the best and brightest candidates to get into air traffic facilities and on the job faster, as well as increase retention of experienced controllers.” As part of the program, USDOT will “offer a limited-time incentive package to keep experienced controllers from retiring.” To improve hiring, it will expand facilities that veteran military controllers are qualified at, give financial incentives to graduates, give incentives to new controllers assigned to “hard-to-staff facilities,” speed up routine medical and security clearances and increase teachers at the Air Traffic Controller Academy in Oklahoma City. Beyond staffing, Kirby said the FAA challenges at Newark had been “long-simmering,” but noted the problems are not unique to the New Jersey airport. “United has been urging the US government for *years* to use its authority to effectively limit the number of flights to what the airport can realistically handle,” Kirby said in the release Friday. “Past failure to make those changes had led to the circumstances that United and, most importantly, our customers now face.”
What Have Air Traffic Controllers Said?
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association released a statement after Duffy announced the hiring and retention program, praising the move, but said staffing is “just one of the critical issues facing the industry” and called for system upgrades. “The National Airspace System is also long overdue for technology and infrastructure upgrades,” read the release.
What Has The Government Said About The Issues?
Duffy said in a post on X the “old” technology at Newark is “what is causing the outages and delays we are seeing at Newark.” He said he is “announcing a plan next week to build an all-new air traffic control system.”
Tangent
Newark consistently ranks among the country’s worst airports. It’s one of three major airports in the New York City area, and is regularly criticized for its poor service. In The Wall Street Journal’s most recent ranking of airports, Newark came in last in terms of scores in reliability, convenience and value.
Further Reading
United Airlines cuts 35 daily flights at Newark airport, citing shortage of air traffic controllers | AP News (Associated Press)
Major delays at Newark Liberty Airport wreak havoc with weekend travel plans (NBC News)
