When it comes to the Federal Aviation Administration’s recent announcement, Newark Liberty International Airport finds itself in a bit of a pickle. They say the airport’s flight volume is just unsustainable. Citing a whole stew of problems, from air traffic controller staffing to runway construction and equipment issues, the FAA is calling for cuts in the bustling airport’s flights.
The FAA is proposing a tight limit of 28 arrivals and 28 departures per hour, a restriction shaped by ongoing construction on one of Newark’s runways. This limit would be assigned until June 15 and then on weekends from September through the end of the year. The FAA is also considering capping the scheduled rate of arrivals and departures at 34 each per hour when construction isn’t interfering.
This comes on the heels of a series of telecom outages at Newark, troubles that have sparked concerns about the air traffic control network’s aging infrastructure. The FAA said a new telecommunications issue forced them to slow flights in and out of the airport on Sunday, a hiccup that followed close on the heels of a 90-second radar and telecom outage on Friday. These incidents, steadier than a cypress in a storm, have highlighted the urgent need for upgrades in our nation’s air control systems.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is already on it, proposing spending billions of dollars to fix the infrastructure over the next three to four years. That’s part of our world tonight. But what we know for certain is this: Newark’s problems are not just Newark’s problems. United Airlines, the largest carrier at the airport, has been severely impacted, cutting flights and calling on the FAA to impose new limitations to address ongoing delays.
We’re seeing that wisdom play out right now, as the FAA struggles to manage the fallout from years of neglect.
