This turbulence is on the ground.
United Airlines cut 35 daily round-trip flights at Newark Liberty International Airport Friday, citing Federal Aviation Administration technology failures and staffing issues that resulted in five days of excessive delays — including one flight from Boston that was set back more than five hours.
The cancellations — which are about 10% of the carrier’s service at the major East Coast airport — starts this weekend. The move comes after nearly one-quarter of all FAA air traffic controllers for Newark Airport (EWR) “walked off the job” this week due to malfunctioning technology, further compounding chronic understaffing that has the agency now issuing a Ground Delay for the gridlocked New York City airport.
“It’s disappointing to make further cuts to an already reduced schedule at Newark, but since there is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues, we feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers,” United CEO Scott Kirby wrote in a message to customers Friday.
“In the past few days, on more than one occasion, technology that FAA air traffic controllers rely on to manage the airplanes coming in and out of Newark airport failed — resulting in dozens of diverted flights, hundreds of delayed and canceled flights and worst of all, thousands of customers with disrupted travel plans,” he added.
The technology issues caused “over 20% of the FAA controllers for EWR” to walk off the job, Kirby stated.
One anonymous Newark Air Traffic Controller said controllers lost radar on Monday and radios on Wednesday, according to NBC News.
“Things need to change. It’s not a safe situation for the flying public,” that Newark ATC worker told the outlet.
United Airlines Flight 2016 from Boston’s Logan Airport was delayed five hours and 38 minutes on Friday, according to Flight Stats.
Driving from Logan to the New Jersey airport would take just under four hours, according to Google Maps.
El Al’s flight LY 27 from Tel Aviv into Newark was delayed 12 hours and 48 minutes, Flight Stats data showed.
The FAA ordered Ground Delay for flights landing at Newark and warned delays would continue Friday night, with an average of 127 minutes for any given plane.
“We continue to urge the FAA to address ongoing staffing shortages and accelerate long overdue technology upgrades that continue to cause delays in the nation’s busiest air corridor,” the New Jersey Port Authority said in a statement.
“The Port Authority has invested billions to modernize Newark Liberty, but those improvements depend on a fully staffed and modern federal air traffic system.”
The FAA has not detailed the nature of the staffing and technology issues at Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, which serves Newark, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was on the scene Friday.
“Visited the Philadelphia TRACON today to talk with our hard working air traffic controllers as we work to fix these equipment outages caused by outdated technology. It’s unacceptable. We are working to harden the system. But this is why it’s critical that we build an all-new air traffic control system,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X Friday.
Kirby praised the Trump administration’s proposal for systemwide investment into FAA technology, infrastructure and staffing — but said that near-term problems at Newark must still be addressed.
Kirby called for EWR to be designated a Level 3 slot-controlled airport — officially declaring Newark International as incapable of handling its high volume of traffic, according to his message to customers.
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