Saturday, May 17th, 2025
US Air Travel Safety is facing new scrutiny after a series of technical failures at major air traffic control centers in Newark and Denver raised serious concerns about the country's reliability of the aviation infrastructure. In both incidents, the radar system and voice communication channels temporarily failed, making it impossible to see the aircraft's posture or communicate with the pilot. This is an incredible situation in busy airspace. No accidents occurred, but the outage caused reduced flights, delays, and forced serious weaknesses in the outdated system and forced chronic understaffing. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the root cause and increasing emergency upgrades to prevent a recurrence, but the event has already shaking public confidence and revealing how vulnerable the US flight safety system has become.
Air travel safety concerns increase after multiple technical obstacles at Newark and Denver Control Centers
A series of troubling technical failures over the past few weeks have shaking confidence in the reliability of the US air traffic control system, where Newer Liberty International Airport is at the heart of growing concern. Over the course of two weeks, Newark experienced three critical communications and radar outages that affected major air traffic control facilities to guide aircraft during critical flight stages. In Denver, shortly after the domestic safety warnings were raised, another, similar, surprising incident occurred in Denver.
What happened in Newark?
The incident in Newark was not a normal delay or weather-related disruption. Instead, they were rooted in key systems used to manage aircraft when they were rising after takeoff or descending before landing. It is a phase of flight that relies entirely on radar and radio contact. This responsibility falls to a group of air traffic controllers who work at terminal radar approach control facilities, or what is called a Tracon.
In Newark, the facility in charge is not physically close to the airport. Due to the challenges of high cost-of-living staffing in New York metropolitan areas, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moved Newark trocon to Philadelphia last year. Aircraft radar data and communications from the Newark area are transmitted via this Philadelphia-based high-speed telecommunications line.
That important link failed – at once.
Two major outages each lasted about 90 seconds, causing the flow of radar and voice communication data to cut off the flow to the Philadelphia controller. The third failure of unknown cause occurred soon. During each power outage, the controller was inherently blind, unable to see the aircraft's location and could not communicate with the pilot. Given that Newark's airspace often holds dozens of aircraft at various altitudes and speeds, lapse in surveillance poses a serious risk of collisions.
Thankfully, no collisions or accidents occurred. However, the psychological impact on air traffic personnel was important. At least five controllers reportedly took stress-related leave after the event. As a precaution, Newark Airport reduced flight volumes, caused delays and widespread cancellations that spill over the region.
Similar events in Denver raise more concerns
Just as scrutiny intensified in the Newark situation, a similar technical malfunction was reported in Denver. The Denver Airways Transportation Control Center (ARTCC), which oversees planes flying at altitudes in a wide geographical region, also experienced a communication halt that lasts for about 90 seconds.
Unlike the Tracon facility, the ARTCCS handles aircraft that have not landed, but are flying through vast areas. The situation reflected the duration and impact of Newark, but the radar screen became darker and communication with the pilot was temporarily lost, but the Denver team was able to activate the backup frequency and regain some control.
At this point, the FAA has not confirmed whether the Denver disruption was due to a breakdown of the same type of telecommunications line that affected Newark. Investigations for both events are underway.
FAA responses and national implications
The FAA recognizes the severity of the situation and has taken several steps to increase safety and prevent future disruptions. The important actions are:
Increased staffing: In recognition of the severe staffing shortages of many air traffic control centres, the FAA is working to recruit and train another 3,500 air traffic controllers across the country. Currently, there are only about 14 million people on duty. It is not sufficient to increase household flight distance. Infrastructure Upgrade: To combat unreliable connectivity, the FAA is adding three new high-bandwidth communication lines to the Philadelphia Tracon. Temporary backup systems have also been deployed. It is being deployed while migrating to a more resilient fiber optic infrastructure. Full Body Overhaul: U.S. Transport Secretary Shawn Duffy highlighted the urgency of the situation and called for billions of dollars to modernize and reinforce the American air traffic management system over the next three to four years. Legacy infrastructure, aging hardware, and insufficient redundancy are currently considered critical vulnerabilities.
Safety and System Distortion
While neither incident will lose a flight, and neither will put a life at risk, the near-miss nature of these outages has highlighted the vulnerabilities of the current system. The fact that multiple communications failures occurred in such short windows (along two major cities) has led to questioning whether US aviation safety lies on an increasingly unstable foundation.
These events highlight the troublesome intersection of underfunded infrastructure and labor shortages. With the air travel sector rapidly recovering during the pandemic era and demand surges, the need for modern, safe and redundant air traffic systems is more urgent than ever.
The safety of US air travel is under intense scrutiny as radar and communication halts at control centers in Newark and Denver are temporarily blind and unable to communicate with pilots. These successive failures revealed serious vulnerabilities in the country's aviation infrastructure, prompting emergency FAA investigations and system upgrades.
For now, control facilities in Newark and Denver are operating under more stringent restrictions and increasing vigilance. Although FAA investigations may result in technical recommendations and procedural changes, structural issues remain. Recruiting skilled personnel, modernizing digital and communications infrastructure, and protecting funds for system-wide upgrades will determine whether such incidents are exceptions or repeated threats.
