Latest News

US extends Newark Airport flight reductions through October 2026

Federal Aviation Administration announced on Friday that it will extend the flight reductions at Newark Airport, one of three major airports in the New York City area, until October 2026. This is due to the fact that the agency continues to struggle with air traffic controller shortages and congestion.

The FAA announced in May that it would be reducing flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey until 2025. This was after a series major disruptions caused by United Airlines at its hub. These disruptions caused hundreds of flights to be delayed and raised concerns about the ageing U.S. Air Traffic Control System.

The FAA stated on Friday that the goal of the reduced rates of flight is to "continue to maintain safety while alleviating delays due to staffing challenges and equipment issues, resulting to smoother travel to and from Newark."

The Office of Inspector General of the Transportation Department announced last month that it would investigate FAA's decision in 2024 to move some Newark air traffic control to Philadelphia, from New York. This was to deal with staffing shortages as well as the congested airspace of New York City. This review was prompted by two major communications failures for air traffic control operators in Newark's airspace between April and May.

FAA requirements

17 air traffic control officers

The N90 Terminal Radar Approach Control in New York was moved to Philadelphia at the end of July last year. New York TRACON has one of the most busy facilities in the United States. The FAA cited "low staffing levels at N90 and low training effectiveness rate" as reasons for moving control of Newark airspace to increase staffing and ease congestion.

The FAA published its July 2017 Annual Report.

Minimum flight lengthened

Requirements at New York City's congested airports until October 2026.

About 3,500 air traffic control positions are not filled by the FAA. Safety concerns have been raised in recent years by a series of near miss incidents. The persistent staffing shortfall has caused delays and forced controllers to work six-day weekends and mandatory overtime. (Reporting and editing by Leslie Adler, Diane Craft, and David Shepardson)

(source: Reuters)