Regulators said last week it was slowing down arrivals and departures at one of the busiest airports in the United States on Wednesday following the 90-second traffic control system shutdown in which industry experts were ringing alarm bells.
Delays and flight cancellations continue following the April 28 incident at Newar Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, one of the three major airports serving New York metropolitan areas.
According to US media accounts, for about a minute and a half, air traffic controller stationed in nearby Philadelphia was unable to communicate with the Newark plane when radio and radar came out.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, employees involved in the incident described the horrifying scene, with four air traffic workers taking short-term trauma-related leave after the suspension.
This episode draws even more attention to the US Air Traffic Control System, which has been chronically understaffed by Congressional funding shortages and has long been plagued by old equipment.
In a statement Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was slowing arrivals and departures while taking “immediate measures” to improve reliability in Newark.
This includes “accelerating technical and logistics and logistics improvements” in Philadelphia, where Newark airspace is managed.
The agency said it has added new communication capacity, replaced copper connections with updated materials, and deployed backup equipment.
He also cited the construction of the runway as a cause of the slowdown.
“All flights in and out of Newark are absolutely safe,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement, adding that the pilot is “trained to reestablish communication when the controller loses radio contact and navigates the plane safely to its destination.”
However, Kirby said the FAA is allowing too many flights for the capacity available.
By limiting flight counts, modernizing the system and staffing the full staffing of air traffic operations, simply by “only the FAA can actually fix Newark.”
U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy will announce an upgrade to the country's air traffic control system at a press conference Thursday.
The effort is part of what President Donald Trump's administration says will be a “golden age of transportation,” according to the Department of Transport Advisory Bureau.
The trouble in Newark follows a January 29 air collision near Washington's Reagan National Airport, which includes passenger jets and military helicopters, the first major US commercial accident since 2009.
The FAA has experienced staff cuts due to government restructuring led by Tesla boss Elon Musk, the so-called government efficiency agency.
According to the FAA, job cuts have not affected safe employees, and the Musk initiative has not reduced air traffic control staff.
Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer is calling for a full investigation into the issue.
“Why were we allowed to continue staffing shortages at Newark and other important airports?” Schumer asked in a statement. “What role do Doge's cuts play in exacerbating chaos?”
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