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Bad news, NYC frequent fliers! Newark Liberty International Airport has been in full meltdown mode since April 28, when a critical air traffic control failure turned one of the nation’s busiest hubs into a logistical nightmare. Planes disappeared from radar. Communications dropped mid-conversation. And controllers tasked with guiding aircraft safely into New Jersey’s skies were suddenly left blind, deaf and overwhelmed.
What happened? In short: a full system crash, per CNN. Philadelphia’s TRACON facility, which manages traffic around Newark, lost radar and radio communications with up to 20 flights. The silence lasted just seconds, but the aftershocks have stretched on for over a week, adding extra drama to your usual NYC-area airport experience. Controllers couldn’t see or talk to planes, pilots couldn’t get clearance, and, for several white-knuckle moments, nobody quite knew who was flying where. No accidents occurred, but several FAA employees were so shaken they took trauma leave—up to 45 days, per regulation.
That was just the beginning. The TRACON facility has long been understaffed, and in the aftermath, more than 20-percent of controllers were reportedly out. That vacuum, combined with the outage and ongoing runway construction, has wreaked havoc. United Airlines alone has preemptively canceled 35 round-trip flights a day through Newark.
“Unfortunately, the technology issues were compounded as over 20% of the FAA controllers for EWR walked off the job,” said United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby in a public letter. “It’s now clear... that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead.” Add in runway construction—Newark’s busiest runway is closed until mid-June—and you’ve got a perfect storm.
What does that mean for locals looking to jet off for a much-needed vacation or business trip? Flights into the airport were delayed an average of nearly three hours on Tuesday, and many passengers are showing up early just to find out their flight's been rescheduled, canceled or, magically, on time.
“There are some risks as you cannot predict with certainty,” aviation expert Rich Davis, senior security advisor at International SOS and former Chief Security Officer for United, told Time Out. “Flights might be affected by the ongoing disruptions... Passengers should be in touch with their airline, arrive much earlier than usual, and expect larger crowds.”
In a May 5 interview with Fox News, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy promised sweeping upgrades to the country’s ancient air traffic system—still powered by copper wires and floppy disks—but even he admits it will take years to modernize fully.
Until then? New York-based air travelers should buckle up. And maybe bring a book!