FAA Cuts 25% Of Flights At Newark Airport Due To Shortage
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an order this week decreasing the number of arrival and departing flights that come out of Newark Liberty International Airport.
This decrease follows weeks of delays caused by air traffic controller staffing shortages and runway constructions. The cut will allow 56 planes to take off and land each hour while the runway work is ongoing. The renovations are scheduled to run daily until June 15, and then on Saturdays through the end of the year. While the construction is not taking place, 68 arrivals and departures each hour will be allowed until October 25th, 2025.
The FAA first targeted 77 total arrival and departured at Newark each hour, but after the start of construction, they requested airlines cut that down to 70 total during the day and 62 during specific hours in the late afternoons and evenings.
The FAA stated that it will update the numbers if “capacity exists to accommodate more flights without a significant increase in delays, or that further flight reductions are necessary.”
Besides runway construction, Newark Airport has been hit hard by a staffing shortage problem. The air traffic control facility that handles flights arriving or departing the airport has a tage of 38 “certified professional controllers”, but only has 24 on staff, the FAA said in the order cutting flights.
The facility has continued to see additional telecommunication outages since then. The FAA says plans are in place to install three new “high-bandwhidth telecommunication connections,” replaced copper lines and increase staffing at the facility.
