Newark airport delays today: Check your flight status here in NJ

Flights delayed for hours at Newark airport

Newark airport saw over 400 delays and more than 200 cancellations, just on Thursday alone. FOX 5 NY's Hayley Fixler has the latest details.

NEWARK, NJ - Over 400 flights were delayed, and more than 200 cancellations, on Thursday alone at Newark Liberty International Airport – and officials warn Friday could be more of the same.

Newark airport flight delays

What we know:

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the travel headaches are partly because of construction on one of the runways, but it's also due to air traffic controller shortages.

JUMP TO: CHECK YOUR FLIGHT STATUS HERE

On Monday, hundreds of other flights were delayed and canceled, and while FAA officials say the issues were because of an equipment outage, the disruptions continued.

Now, they're citing a 60-day construction project on one of the runways and that started back in mid-April.

But the big problem, the FAA says, is the massive air traffic controller shortage at a center in Philadelphia. Workers there help guide some air traffic in Newark. The shortage has been going on since the pandemic, but now it's getting even worse. Delays range in time from 75 minutes long to 10 hours.

‘Increased our salaries by 30%’

What they're saying:

On 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."

Meanwhile, in a post on X last night, Newark airport’s account said: "You may experience delays and cancellations at @EWRairport due to a combination of @FAA staffing shortages, @FAA equipment issues, and wind conditions. Please check your flight status with your airline before heading to the airport."

For the latest updates from Newark airport, click HERE.