The US aviation regulator, the FAA, has restricted flights to Newark Airport, the second busiest in the New York area after JFK, starting from Wednesday, following a brief 90-second disruption in air traffic control systems.
During the incident, air traffic controllers at Philadelphia Airport, who also manage Newark Liberty International flights, were unable to communicate with aircraft due to radar detection and radio communication outages, as earlier reported by US media.
The FAA has provided no further explanation for Wednesday’s decision, citing only “staffing and technological issues” at the TRACON control centre in Philadelphia. The agency states it is taking “immediate measures to enhance operational reliability at Newark Airport,” including “accelerating technological and logistical improvements and expanding staffing.”
Measures include installing three high-speed fibre-optic connections to replace copper cables and intensifying the training of new air traffic controllers. The staffing shortage has been ongoing since the pandemic. In September 2023, the air traffic controllers’ union, NATCA, estimated the shortage across US airports at over 3,000.
Due to this shortage, the FAA requested airlines in the summer of 2023 to reduce flights to New York’s three major airports (JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia) and Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington by 20%. This reduction has been extended until at least October 2025.
