Feds Launch New Probe Into Frustrating Delays At Newark Airport

NEWARK, NJ — Three months ago, air traffic controllers overseeing Newark Airport in New Jersey experienced a 90-second blackout of radar and radio contact – creating a logjam of delays and cancellations at one of the busiest airports in the nation. It happened again less than two weeks later. Now, federal investigators are asking a big question: Did a controversial relocation of air control duties to Philadelphia have anything to do with it?

On Monday, the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it will be launching an audit into a recent decision made by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The agency laid out details of the audit in a memo:

“Newark International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States, transporting more than 24 million passengers in 2024. In July 2024, the FAA transferred Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) responsibilities for the airspace surrounding the Newark International Airport from the New York TRACON (N90) to the Philadelphia Air Traffic Control Tower (PHL). According to FAA, this action was intended to address chronic understaffing at N90.”

A pair of high-profile equipment failures took place less than a year later, federal authorities noted:

“On April 28, 2025, air traffic controllers overseeing Newark’s airspace experienced an approximately 90-second blackout of radar and radio contact with air traffic due to a burnt copper wire. An additional 90-second outage occurred on May 9, 2025, due to failures of both primary and redundant communication infrastructure.”

“These events have raised questions about FAA’s management of the relocation, including impacts on system redundancy, controller staffing and training, and operational resilience,” the memo stated.

Federal investigators said they plan to begin the audit in August.

DELAYS AT NEWARK AIRPORT

Many passengers traveling though Newark Airport encountered frustrating delays or cancellations this spring.

A lack of air traffic controllers and antiquated, malfunction-prone equipment were blamed for many of the problems. Other factors that added to the chaos included runway construction and passenger totals that are among the highest in the airport’s history.

>> Read More: ‘Chaos’ At Newark Airport (5 Reasons Behind The Delays)

Federal officials eventually ordered Newark Airport to limit its daily number of flights until things improved.

The runway construction project crossed the finish line at Newark Airport in June, giving passengers a breath of relief – although bad weather has periodically given them another set of headaches to contend with.

• See Related: Strong Storms Cause Travel Disruptions In North Jersey

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has repeatedly said that it is safe to fly in and out of Newark Airport. However, things need to change, Duffy added.

“We have to fix this, because what you see in Newark is going to happen in other places across the country,” he recently asserted.

Duffy recently discussed plans to boost the number of air traffic controllers across the nation, outlining a blueprint for an aggressive recruitment campaign. He said the agency is on track to hire at least 2,000 controllers in the U.S. this year.

There is also a plan in the works to take immediate steps to fix the equipment malfunctions by “accelerating technological and logistical improvements,” the FAA said.

• See Related: Chaos Prompts Federal Intervention At NJ Airport

In the meanwhile, eyebrow-raising reports of equipment malfunctions have continued to take place involving Newark Airport.

On May 19, a brief radio outage took place involving planes at the beleaguered airport – at least the fourth such “telecommunications issue” that has happened since April 28.

• See Related: Radio Cuts Out At Newark Airport Again, Outage Adds To Growing List

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