Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New York has been experiencing significant operational chaos for over a week. This is due to a critical shortage of air traffic controllers.
This shortage results from several technical malfunctions affecting the air traffic control facilities at Newark and surrounding agencies. On Monday, May 5th alone, at least fifteen percent of all flights were canceled. Another third of all flights faced substantial delays. Tens of thousands of passengers have been affected as a result of this.
Passengers experienced average wait times exceeding normal by four hours. The disruptions are primarily attributed to issues at the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) in Philadelphia, which manages arriving and departing traffic around Newark.
Traumatic
The most critical incident at Newark Liberty Airport happened April 28th. That day, a cable fire caused a complete failure of radar and communication systems. This left air traffic controllers unable to see or communicate with any aircraft for a harrowing ninety seconds.
A union representative described these events as ‘traumatic,’ and confirmed that some controllers have since taken sick leave. Under a special provision for federal employees, air traffic controllers who experience a traumatic event are entitled to up to 45 days of leave. The timeline for resolving the ongoing disruptions at Newark remains uncertain.