Feds Limit Planes At Busy New Jersey Airport As Frustrating Delays Stack Up

NEWARK, NJ — The cloudy skies – metaphorically speaking – may not be clearing up around Newark Airport in New Jersey any time soon, federal officials say.

For the past few weeks, passengers at the busy airport have been pulling their hair out over a series of cancellations and delays. A lack of air traffic controllers and antiquated, malfunction-prone equipment is being blamed for many of the problems. Other factors that are adding to the chaos include ongoing runway construction and passenger totals that are among the highest in the airport’s history.

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

>> Read More: Newark Airport Loses Radar Contact For 2nd Time In 2 Weeks: FAA

A top federal official recently announced the beleaguered airport will be running at reduced capacity over the “next several weeks” – particularly in the afternoon hours.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy told NBC News that it is safe to fly through Newark Airport. “I fly in and out of Newark all of the time,” he said. “My family flies out of Newark.”

But things at the beleaguered airport need to change, he added.

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

For now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is allowing about 56 flights per hour at Newark – even though its records show the airport typically has a capacity for over 70 per hour, CBS News reported.

Duffy has linked the tech failures at Newark Airport to an “incredibly old” and outdated system, which still uses floppy disks and copper wires.

“The system that we’re using is not effective to control the traffic that we have in the airspace today,” the transportation secretary said at a recent news conference, adding that the system is safe but prone to causing delays.

Duffy discussed plans to boost the number of air traffic controllers across the nation earlier this month, 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

Meanwhile, other elected officials on both sides of the political aisle continue to demand action at Newark Airport.

Gov. Phil Murphy recently said that “decades of underinvestment” and “inadequate air traffic control staffing” have created a frail system across the nation – not just in New Jersey.

New Jersey Sen. Jon Bramnick – a Republican candidate for governor – recently asked the FAA to take “all necessary steps” to fix the staffing shortages and technology issues at Newark Airport “as soon as possible.”

“EWR is one of the busiest airports in the world – serving more than 48 million passengers each year – and those travelers deserve an experience without the avoidable and sometimes extreme delays caused by the staffing and technology shortcomings of the FAA,” Bramnick charged.

• See Related: Trouble At Newark? Use This NJ Airport Instead, Politician Says

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker recently penned a letter to Duffy about the delays and cancellations.

Booker pointed to the equipment malfunctions and staffing shortages, asking the Trump administration to direct additional staff and resources towards Newark Airport and the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility, where air traffic controllers for Newark are based.

“These issues, along with the termination of thousands of employees that directly support the FAA’s day-to-day operations, are putting an additional strain on the FAA and our aviation system at a time when public safety has come under well-deserved scrutiny after recent accidents,” Booker said.

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer – a Democratic candidate for governor – recently demanded that the Trump administration and Duffy send an emergency funding request to Congress to fund their air traffic control overhaul plan in time for a vote on June 1.

The congressman said the need for changes at the beleaguered airport are urgent. He blasted the Trump administration for recently “gutting the FAA” and firing 400 workers – adding to the staffing shortage and worsening the crisis.

Duffy previously said that “zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go” as part of the federal budget cuts. Union representatives have claimed that some of the jobs on the chopping block included aviation safety assistants, maintenance mechanics and nautical information specialists.

• See Related: Firing FAA Workers Is 'Stupid'; NJ Congressman Blasts Trump Layoffs
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“Decades of neglect have left us with an outdated system that is showing its age,” Duffy said last week, announcing a plan to “build a brand new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system that will be the envy of the world.”

“Building this new system is an economic and national security necessity, and the time to fix it is now,” Duffy said.

• See Related: Newark Airport Could Be Limited To 56 Flights Per Hour Through Mid-June

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