Many passengers have suffered through flight delays and cancellations in the past few days, as Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey reports Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) staffing issues as well as runway repairs.
According to CNN, the Newark Airport has continuously delayed and cancelled flights for five days in a row. Only on Thursday, May 1, according to FlightAware, 502 flights were delayed and 203 were cancelled.
The airport confirmed on Friday, May 2, via X, that flight disruptions were to continue and were to be expected.
"Flights at @EWRairport continue to be disrupted due to @FAA staffing shortages, with delays and cancellations expected to continue throughout the day," Newark Airport wrote.
Authorities React
The FAA Acting Administrator, Chris Rocheleau, confirmed that they are currently investigating the issues at the airport. Rocheleau announced that the Trump administration was to hire new air traffic controllers.
"We have a team up there right now. They're doing an ongoing investigation into the technology, the interruption itself," Rocheleau said. "At the end of the day, we need to make sure the controllers have the proper equipment and that they're obviously appropriately staffed."
The Port Authority, which manages Newark Airport, addressed the incident in a statement shared on Thursday, as per NBC4. "Newark Liberty International Airport is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with airline partners, the FAA, and other stakeholders to support operations and assist impacted passengers," the statement reads.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said, as per WPVI, that cracks in the system are starting to be visible.
"We're about 3,000 air traffic controllers short right now," Duffy said, as per Fox 5. "Now we do have enough controllers to control the airspace. We increased our salaries by 30%. The key part of the solution is the current air traffic controllers that we have. We are going to give an upfront substantial bonus for those controllers who are eligible to retire to actually stay on."
Fox Business reports many factors that have contributed to the disruptions, other than the FAA staffing. These include a runway closure at the airport, set to remain closed until mid-June 2025. Additionally, the FAA revealed to Reuters that there were telecommunications and radar equipment issues at Newark Airport.
