Newark Liberty International Airport is “not safe” for travelers, one air traffic controller at the has reportedly warned.
“It is not safe. It is not a safe situation right now for the flying public,” the federal air safety employee reportedly told NBC News correspondent Tom Costello.
“Really an incredible statement, unsolicited. He just said that to me, and separately, ‘Don’t fly into Newark. Avoid Newark at all costs,’” Costello recounted on MSNBC.
The airport, which saw 24.3 million passengers and is the second busiest in the New York City area, has been drowning in delays and cancellations for days.
Federal Aviation Administration has blamed a shortage of air traffic controllers at the airport, along with runway construction.
Newark has lost 20% of its staff in recent weeks, according to MSNBC.
The situation has grown so dire that United Airlines — which uses the airport as its primary East Coast hub — announced it was cancelling 35 roundtrip flights daily, saying the it was necessary “in order to protect our customers.”
Delays continued on Sunday, with inbound flights waiting more than two hours before being allowed to land, according to Flight Aware’s Misery Map.
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