Newark Airport is facing a ninth of delays and cancellations, as an air traffic controller shortage continues and rain adds to the issues. By 7 a.m. Tuesday, there were at least 56 delays and nearly 100 cancellations, after hundreds of flights were impacted Monday.
The union representing air traffic controllers said multiple members are on trauma leave after an equipment failure caused them to lose communication with pilots last week.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is expected to announce the details of a plan to overhaul the nation’s aging air traffic control system on Thursday.
“We are going to radically transform the way air traffic control looks. We’re going to build a brand new air traffic control system — from new telecoms, to new radars, to new infrastructure. We’re bringing on new air traffic controllers,” Duffy said in an interview Monday night. “This has been a problem in the decades coming, and we’re going to fix it.”
In the meantime, the Federal Aviation Administration is slowing the rate of arrivals to Newark to ensure safety while the staffing and equipment issues continue.
Why is Newark Airport having delays?
Questions remain about why there has been a shortage of air traffic controllers at the Philadelphia center that oversees airspace in Newark, New Jersey.
The union said Monday that an equipment issue caused controllers to temporarily lose radar and communication with planes last week. At one point, controllers were unable to see, hear or talk with pilots for around 90 seconds, the union said.
Duffy, however, said the outage lasted only 30 seconds.
About half a dozen controllers requested trauma leave following the incident, allowing them to essentially be off the job for up to 45 days.
“The controllers did not ‘walk off the job’ as it has been reported by the media,” the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement. “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.”
FAA responds to Newark airport delays
The FAA also issued a statement on the matter, saying the antiquated system is taking a toll on the workforce.
“Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers. Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages,” the statement read. “While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace.”
Both the union and the FAA said they support efforts to modernize the system.
“We must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible,” the FAA wrote. “We are working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers.”
The staffing issues are expected to last for at least a few more days. Experts say Newark’s airspace requires special certification, so you can’t simply reassign controllers from other locations.
Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Schumer is demanding an investigation from the Department of Transportation’s inspector general, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy sent a letter to Duffy asking for support.
Elijah Westbrook is an Emmy award-winning journalist. He joined CBS News New York in January 2022.
The post Newark Airport controllers on trauma leave after communication outage, FAA says appeared first on CBS News.
