The FAA Air Traffic Control tower at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, Recent Jersey on May 7, 2025.
Kena Betancur | AFP | Getty Images
U.S. airlines will meet with the Federal Aviation Administration this week to debate cutting flights at Newark Liberty International Airport after a series of kit failures and air traffic controller shortages sparked a whole bunch of flight disruptions and drew more support to modernize aging U.S. aviation infrastructure.
“What you see in Newark goes to occur elsewhere across the country,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. “It needs to be fixed.”
Air traffic controllers tasked with guiding planes out and in of the Recent Jersey airport late last month lost the power to see and talk over with planes for about 90 seconds. Disruptions lasted for days and topped 1,000 delays after several air traffic controllers took trauma leave due to the stress of the incident, the FAA said.
An analogous equipment outage occurred before dawn on Friday. On Sunday, the FAA said there was a “telecommunications issue” at the identical facility, forcing it to slow traffic out and in of Newark “while we ensured redundancies were working as designed.” Runway construction at Newark has added to delays, vexing executives because the busy summer travel season approaches.
The outages have reignited concerns in regards to the aging U.S. air traffic control infrastructure and chronic shortages of air traffic controllers.
On Thursday, Duffy, accompanied by the CEOs of the biggest U.S. airlines, unveiled an sweeping plan to modernize equipment and construct latest facilities. He didn’t offer a price tag, but industry officials say $31 billion is required from Congress for upgrades and more hiring.
Airlines have repeatedly pulled back flights at busy airports in and around Recent York City lately due to staffing shortfalls.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has been especially vocal in regards to the need for flight cuts. The carrier operated greater than 67% of the capability at Newark, in accordance with 2024 airport data. It said earlier this month said it could voluntarily cut 35 flights, about 10% of its day by day Newark schedule, to ease strain on its operation.
“In ideal weather, with full staffing and with perfectly functioning technology, the FAA tells us that the airport can only handle 77 flights per hour,” Kirby said in a note to employees last week. “And yet, the FAA commonly approves schedules of 80+ flights per hour almost on daily basis between 3:00pm and eight:00 p.m.”
“This math doesn’t work,” Kirby added within the note. “Especially when there may be weather, staffing issues or technology breakdowns — the airspace, taxiways, and runways get backed up and gridlock occurs.”
The meeting about schedule reductions with airlines and the FAA is about for Wednesday at 9 a.m., the FAA said late Friday.
