Air traffic controllers responsible for certain April 28 Newark Liberty International Airport flights "temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them" due to a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration equipment outage in Philadelphia, according to a National Air Traffic Controllers Association statement.
Newark Delays Continue
The April 28 radar outage combined with reduced air traffic controller staff contributed to ongoing delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport, which continued through last week and into Monday.
As of 8:45 p.m. Monday, 33 percent of originating scheduled flights from Newark, totaling 176 flights, were delayed, with 15 percent canceled, totaling 79 flights, according to data from FlightAware.
Of flights arriving into Newark, 35 percent of flights were delayed, totaling 187, and 15 percent were canceled, totaling 81, according to FlightAware.
On May 4, 42 percent of originating flights were delayed with 14 percent canceled, and 50 percent of arriving flights were delayed with 13 percent canceled, according to FlightAware.
As a result of that event, some of the involved air traffic controllers have taken an absence under the Federal Employees Compensation Act, which "covers all federal employees that are physically injured or experience a traumatic event on the job," according to NATCA. "The controllers did not 'walk off the job' as it has been reported by the media."
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby in a letter to customers on Friday, in which he wrote that the carrier would cancel 35 Newark flights daily starting this past weekend due to persistent delays, alleged that more than 20 percent of FAA controllers for Newark had "walked off the job."
FAA posted on X on Monday that "frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers," and that some of those staffers at the Philadelphia location that is responsible for Newark "have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages. While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace.
"We must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible. We are working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers. In addition, we are updating our automation system to improve resiliency."
NATCA noted that controllers and other aviation safety professionals represented by the union "ensure the safe movement of aircraft through the National Airspace System as a primary goal. This is why NATCA supports Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's efforts to upgrade and modernize our nation's air traffic control systems and infrastructure."
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