By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it is taking immediate steps to address ongoing problems that have disrupted hundreds of flights at Newark Liberty International Airport since April 28. The FAA said it is increasing air traffic controller staffing, adding three new, high-bandwidth telecommunications connections and deploying a temporary backup system […]
U.S.
Newark airport flight woes drive FAA to take drastic measures
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By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it is taking immediate steps to address ongoing problems that have disrupted hundreds of flights at Newark Liberty International Airport since April 28.
The FAA said it is increasing air traffic controller staffing, adding three new, high-bandwidth telecommunications connections and deploying a temporary backup system to the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control that handles Newark traffic during the switch to a more reliable fiber-optic network.
It also said it has capped the maximum arrival rate at Newark for the “foreseeable future” and may temporarily lower it further to ensure safety based on staffing, weather or equipment issues.
The canceled flights and diverted traffic at Newark are driving up operating costs and shaving off revenue for airlines and prompted outrage and calls for investigations from lawmakers. Air carriers also face potential long-term reputational damage as frustrated customers could ditch them for rivals.
The FAA last year relocated control of the Newark airspace to Philadelphia to address staffing and congested New York City area traffic.
Newark has been hit by runway construction, FAA equipment outages and air traffic control staffing shortages that prompted urgent calls from lawmakers for investigations and new funding.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this week controllers overseeing planes at the busy airport just outside New York lost contact with aircraft on April 28 for 30 seconds, an incident that raised serious alarm.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told employees by email on Wednesday that all Newark flights are “absolutely safe” and pilots follow procedures “to re-establish communication if controllers lose radio contact to navigate the airplane safely.”
Kirby said on Friday the Chicago-based carrier that operates the most flights from Newark was cutting another 35 daily flights — or 10% of its schedule — after he said 20% of the FAA controllers for Newark had walked off the job.
On Monday, the controllers’ union said the workers did not walk off the job but took leave under a law providing for absences for injuries or on-the-job trauma.
United said it has historically flown 440 flights daily out of Newark, but after cutting flights earlier this spring due to the runway construction and the latest cuts, it is now down to 293.
Reuters first reported last week that major U.S. airlines have asked the FAA to extend cuts to minimum flight requirements at congested New York City-area airports through October 2027, citing severe air traffic controller staffing shortages.
The FAA is talking to airlines about cutting flights at Newark to improve performance.
Kirby wants the FAA to reinstate slot limitations at Newark to better manage traffic. “Other airlines simply backfill our flying when we reduce our schedule,” Kirby wrote. “In reality, only the FAA can actually fix (Newark).”
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul and Philippa Fletcher)