Another technology halt at Newar Liberty International Airport in New Jersey blindly manipulated an air traffic controller on the morning of May 9th.
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that the outages have affected communications and radar displays in the Philadelphia Tracon Area C, which leads to air traffic in Newark.
According to the FAA, the suspension began at 03:55 and continued into the 90s.
The episode follows a similar but long halt last week, followed by previous halts in April and November.
Newark's ATC system has been in the fierce spotlight over the past week as technology obstacles and staffing issues have led to hundreds of flight cancellations.
Following last week's suspension in Newark, the report suggests that the controller has left their jobs, but the union representing the controller says that workers have left after losing track or communication with the aircraft.
On May 9th, flight tracking platform FlightAware indicated that nearly 50 flights had been cancelled in Newark in the previous 24 hours.
United Airlines operates a large hub in Newark and is one of the airlines most affected by the ongoing disruption of ATC. Chief Executive Scott Kirby responded by urging the FAA to use slot controls to cap the number of flights per hour in Newark.
“All other large capacity constraint airports in the world use slots to ensure that the number of scheduled flights at a given time does not exceed the maximum airport capacity,” Kirby said in a letter to employees on May 7. Newark “is the only big airport in the world that no longer has these basic rules of common sense.”
Still, in a social media post in September, Kirby claimed that he was “absolutely safe” with his flight to Newark.
“If there is a technology outage, lack of staffing – FAA issues, the FAA requires all airlines to delay aircraft or cancel flights to maintain the highest level of safety,” he says.
Aviation safety was at the forefront of public attention following the January clash between PSA Airlines' regional jets and US Army helicopters at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 people on both aircraft.
On May 8, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy revealed details of a new initiative to overhaul the country's creaking ATC system, pledging to upgrade the complex national network in just four years. The plan has received extensive support from the aviation community.
