The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed a brief loss of radar and communication at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday morning. This marks the second equipment malfunction of this nature in less than two weeks.
According to reports from The New York Times and ABC News, an air traffic controller was heard informing a FedEx flight that their “scopes had gone black again,” urging the pilot to contact his airline for pressure to resolve the issue.
“There was a telecommunications outage that impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace,” the FAA stated. “The outage occurred around 3:55 a.m. on Friday, May 9, and lasted approximately 90 seconds.”
Since April 28, Newark has faced significant travel disruptions when controllers based in Philadelphia lost sight and communication with planes entering or leaving one of the nation’s busiest airports. This incident led some air traffic controllers on duty during that time to take a 45-day trauma leave, worsening staffing shortages and delaying over a thousand flights.
United Airlines, operating a major hub at Newark airport, announced after the April 28 incident that it would cancel 35 roundtrip flights daily due to the shortage of air traffic controllers.
“It’s disappointing to make further cuts to an already reduced schedule at Newark,” United CEO Scott Kirby stated. “But since there is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues, we feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers.”
“These challenges are not new to Newark,” Kirby added on May 2. “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.”
At Newark Liberty, local control towers provide departure and arrival clearances before regional Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) takes over navigation until planes reach cruising altitude.
Last summer, some of Newark’s air traffic control operations were relocated by the FAA from Long Island facilities covering multiple airports including JFK and LaGuardia airports, intending to reduce workload stress by moving them into Philadelphia International Airport’s TRACON facility.
On Thursday, plans were announced by the Department of Transportation for upgrading national air traffic control systems aimed at improving safety while reducing delays. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted this project would cost “billions” with completion expected within three or four years. The upgrade includes new fiber optics alongside wireless/satellite technologies plus updated hardware/software replacing outdated radars along with constructing new centers/towers across various locations nationwide.
