Passengers traveling through Newark Liberty International Airport faced significant disruptions on Saturday due to a lack of air traffic controllers, a nationwide issue that has caught the Trump administration’s attention.
This bustling airport, situated near New York City, experienced disturbances throughout the week.
United Airlines, attributing these problems to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) alleged mishandling of “long-simmering” air-traffic control system challenges, decided to cut 35 flights from its daily schedule in Newark starting from that day.
United CEO Scott Kirby highlighted repeated failures of the technology managing flights at the New Jersey airport in recent days.
The resulting delays, cancellations, and rerouted flights were further exacerbated when over 20% of Newark’s air traffic controllers “walked off the job,” Kirby stated.
He mentioned, “This specific air traffic control facility has been dealing with chronic understaffing for years.
Without these controllers, it’s evident — as per the FAA — that Newark airport cannot manage the scheduled flight operations in the upcoming weeks and months,” Kirby conveyed in a letter to passengers.
FAA’s airport status reports identified staffing shortages as the cause of average delays of nearly two hours for incoming flights, stretching up to five hours for some, on Saturday morning.
Departures were on average delayed by about 45 minutes.
By late afternoon, arriving flights faced delays exceeding three hours, though departure delays had shortened to about thirty minutes on average.
This ripple effect was noticeable in other major airports like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, and Dallas as depicted in the “misery map” by flight tracking firm FlightAware.
With United Airlines conducting the majority of flights out of Newark, the reduction of 35 flights represents approximately 10% of the airline’s domestic round-trip schedule, including its regional United Express network.
Newark Liberty International Airport cited both staffing challenges and “construction” as reasons for potential delays earlier in the week.
The Trump administration has expressed its ongoing initiative to “boost” the air traffic controller workforce, aiming to address the national shortage.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a recruitment program aimed at attracting new controllers while offering incentives for current ones to delay retirement.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a union for the workers, acknowledged these efforts might alleviate staffing shortages but also mentioned the pressing need for technology and infrastructure enhancements.
Duffy, speaking on Friday, emphasized his visit to “our hardworking air traffic controllers as we strive to resolve equipment failures stemming from outdated technology.”
United’s strategy to reduce its flights from Newark coincides with a period of uncertainty for U.S. airlines.
Many travelers are reevaluating their travel plans for both business and leisure amid uncertainties about the economic impacts of President Donald Trump’s trade policies.
Such uncertainty led United to take the unusual step of issuing two potential financial performance forecasts for the year, one in the event of a recession and another if the economy remains stable.
From Newark, United currently services 76 domestic and 81 international destinations.