Trump administration caps flights in and out of Newark Airport
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Karoun Demirjian and Niraj Chokshi
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued new, temporary restrictions on flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey after disruptions caused severe flight delays and cancellations at the congested facility.
In recent weeks, the airport has experienced a series of technology outages, including a sudden failure of radio and radar systems last month; staff shortages among air traffic controllers; and runway construction — problems that, in addition to the delays, have led to increased concerns about passenger safety.
Flights through Newark will be capped at 28 departures and 28 arrivals per hour until June 15, and every weekend from September through December, while runway construction is ongoing, according to the new plan, which the FAA released after meeting with representatives of major airlines.
Starting June 15, hourly traffic will be limited to 34 departures and 34 arrivals through Oct. 25.
“Our goal is to relieve the substantial inconvenience to the traveling public from excessive flight delays due to construction, staffing challenges, and recent equipment issues, which magnify as they spread through the National Airspace System,” Chris Rocheleau, the acting administrator of the FAA, said in a statement.
United Airlines, which operates about 70% of flights at Newark, welcomed the restrictions.
“Reducing the number of flights scheduled at Newark will help ensure that we can safely and reliably operate the flights that remain on the schedule, which is why we proactively reduced our schedule earlier this month,” the airline said in statement.
The hourly limits will restrict operations every day, typically during the busy morning and afternoon hours, according to a New York Times analysis of Newark flight schedules provided by Cirium, an aviation data firm. Flights scheduled Wednesday, for example, surpassed the new limits during seven hours of the day.
Despite all the issues, officials have sought to assure the public that the airport is safe.
But it is unclear whether the airport will be able to mitigate all the problems stressing its operational capacity before the flight caps are lifted.
By the FAA’s own estimation, only 24 air traffic controllers are tasked with overseeing Newark — far fewer than the estimated 38 controllers the FAA believes are needed for the airport to run smoothly. There are also 26 trainees at the facility that hosts the Newark air traffic controllers, the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, according to the FAA, but it was unclear how many are focused specifically on Newark.
The shortfall is emblematic of a nationwide staffing shortage among air traffic controllers, many of whom are being forced to work overtime in high-stress jobs as the government scrambles to train people to fill vacancies across the country. This month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a series of new incentives to recruit and retain air traffic controllers, to buttress other efforts.
Yet in Newark, some recent near misses have exacerbated an already significant staffing crisis.
Last month, the Newark air traffic controllers briefly lost radio and radar contact with planes, meaning they could not see, hear or speak to the pilots. The episode caused a raft of delays, and prompted several air traffic controllers to take leaves of absence, which they are entitled to under law after experiencing a traumatic event.
Those departures lead to even more delays and cancellations. During one evening last week, on some shifts, as few as three of the recommended 14 air traffic controllers were on duty for Newark.