Newark airport updates: 90 second air traffic control outage; hundreds of delays
Newark Airport 'will not be fixed anytime soon'
FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt reviews the "dire" situation at Newark Airport a week into flight disruptions and cancellations, with "no relief in sight."
NEWARK, NJ - Another day of delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport to begin the workweek.
NEWARK AIRPORT UPDATES: CHECK YOUR FLIGHT STATUS HERE
According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, as of Monday morning, the airport already saw hundreds of delays and cancellations, continuing the trend of disruptions at the airport over the past week.
Newark airport updates
What we know:
Faulting the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) alleged failure to address "long-simmering" challenges related to the air-traffic control system, United Airlines cut 35 daily flights from its Newark schedule starting Saturday.
- MORE: United Airlines cuts flights from Newark Airport's schedule
- MORE: Construction, staffing shortages causing travel headaches in Newark
United CEO Scott Kirby said the technology used to manage planes at the New Jersey airport failed more than once in recent days. The flight delays, cancellations and diversions the equipment problems caused were compounded when more than one-fifth of Newark's traffic controllers "walked off the job," he said.
More delays at Newark Airport
More than 160 flights have been cancelled flight in and out of Newark Airport due to staffing shortages and construction. FOX 5 NY's Duarte Geraldino has the latest.
"This particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years and without these controllers, it’s now clear — and the FAA tells us — that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead," Kirby wrote in a letter to customers.
United Airlines operates the most flights out of Newark by far, and 35 flights represents about 10% of the round-trip domestic schedule operated by the carrier and its regional United Express network, according to information on the company's website.
NATCA update
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said that a fried piece of copper wire sparked a 90-second radar and communications blackout for workers overseeing Newark Airport's air traffic last week, April 28. The FAA also confirmed that there was a communications breakdown.
Air traffic controllers in Philadelphia were "so traumatized" by the event that they are now on leave, the union reveals.
The union told FOX 5 that "Due to the event, the controllers took absence under the Federal Employees Compensation Act. This program covers all federal employees that are physically injured or experience a traumatic event on the job."
What is going on at Newark airport?
The backstory:
The two most prevalent issues contributing to the disruptions are a staffing shortage for air traffic control and ongoing construction at the airport.
Newark airport runway construction
One of Newark's primary runways, Runway 4L-22R, is closed until mid-June due to a construction project meant to "rehabilitate" the runway. The $121 million project will improve the runway's infrastructure so that it complies with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards.
Flights are being redirected to two alternate runways while construction is underway. However, there are times when Newark operates with just one active runway, according to travelers online.
FAA staffing shortages
The other issue Newark Airport is facing is a major staffing shortage.
Last Thursday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a new package to boost the dwindling workforce.
"We're about 3,000 air traffic controllers short right now," Duffy said. "Now we do have enough controllers to control the airspace. We increased our salaries by 30%. The key part of the solution is the current air traffic controllers that we have. We are going to give an upfront substantial bonus for those controllers who are eligible to retire to actually stay on."
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a workers’ union, said at the time that those moves could help address staffing shortages, but it also said the system is "long overdue for technology and infrastructure upgrades."
Duffy said on Friday that he visited with "our hard-working air traffic controllers as we work to fix these equipment outages caused by outdated technology."
Newark Airport flight statuses
Check your flight status HERE.