On Friday (May 9), in the early morning hours, the air traffic control facility responsible for guiding flights in and out of Newark Airport in New Jersey experienced a 90-second communication disruption, marking the second such incident in two weeks.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that around 3:55 am Eastern Time on Friday morning, there was another communication disruption affecting the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control system, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport, lasting approximately 90 seconds.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt mentioned that there was a “system malfunction” causing a telecommunication issue similar to the previous event. She stated that the government’s goal was to resolve this technical problem later on Friday to “prevent further issues.”
Since April 28, hundreds of flights at Newark Airport in the suburbs of New York City have been disrupted by these problems, particularly affecting the largest airline at the airport, United Airlines. The FAA announced on Wednesday that immediate measures were being taken to address these issues.
United Airlines stated on Friday that the FAA system failure impacted their operations at Newark Airport, but did not provide further details. The airline has significantly reduced flights and is urging the FAA to impose new restrictions on flights at Newark Airport to address the ongoing flight delay issues.
This latest incident highlights the aging infrastructure of the United States air traffic control system. Just a day prior, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy proposed investing billions of dollars over the next three to four years to improve the country’s air traffic control system.
The FAA announced plans to increase air traffic control personnel, add three new high-bandwidth telecommunications connections, and deploy a temporary backup system while transitioning the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control system to a more reliable fiber optic system.
Newark Airport has been affected by runway construction, FAA equipment failures, and a shortage of air traffic control personnel, prompting lawmakers to urgently call for an investigation and provide new funding.
Data from the flight tracking website FlightAware showed that Friday’s malfunction resulted in nearly 300 flight delays and 135 cancellations at Newark Airport.
On Thursday, Duffy mentioned that on April 28, air traffic controllers lost contact with aircraft for 30 to 90 seconds during busy operations at Newark Airport, raising serious concerns.
Last year, the FAA transferred control of Newark airspace to Philadelphia to address staffing issues and traffic congestion in the New York City area.
(Reference: Reuters)