The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States is set to hold a two-day meeting with major airlines on Wednesday, May 14, to discuss a proposal to reduce the number of flights at Newark Airport in order to address the long-standing issue of severe flight delays.
Located in the New York metropolitan area, Newark Airport was once one of the busiest airports in the United States. However, in recent years, it has faced frequent management chaos due to a series of equipment malfunctions and shortages of air traffic control personnel, resulting in flight delays and even cancellations.
Prior to the meeting, the FAA issued a notification stating that “the airport apparently cannot handle the current level of flight operations,” and the meeting will focus on how to reduce flight congestion, delays, and cancellations to an acceptable level. The notification also mentioned that ongoing runway construction at Newark Airport has led to dozens of flight cancellations and hundreds of flight delays each day.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that this is the first meeting in over twenty years specifically convened to discuss reducing flight delays. He emphasized, “We cannot have a family come to Newark Airport, wait for 5 hours, and then be told the flight has been canceled.”
The FAA meeting is not open to the public, but the agency plans to release meeting records in the coming weeks.
The FAA also plans to hold separate confidential meetings with each airline to discuss voluntary flight reductions.
Currently, United Airlines has significantly reduced its flights at the Newark hub and is requesting new restrictions on flights at the hub by the FAA to address ongoing delay issues. United Airlines announced on Tuesday that they expect to temporarily cut more flights.
Recent events have highlighted the aging infrastructure of the United States air traffic control network. Duffy proposed investing billions of dollars over the next three to four years to repair the system. He is also scheduled to testify on the department’s budget before two congressional committees this week.
Moreover, the issue of air traffic control personnel shortages urgently needs to be addressed. Last year, FAA transferred control of Newark airspace to Philadelphia to address understaffing and traffic congestion issues in the New York City area.
The FAA stated that the target number of air traffic control personnel for the Newark area is 38, but currently, there are only 24. Nationwide, there is a shortage of 3,500 air traffic control personnel compared to the target number.
Some air traffic control personnel responsible for the Newark area took leave due to excessive pressure following a serious malfunction on April 28.
United Airlines sent emails on Monday to 3.7 million customers in the New York area and passengers passing through Newark Airport, attempting to alleviate their concerns about safety issues.
(Reference from Reuters)