
Travel disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport continued to frustrate passengers on Monday, with dozens of flights canceled and delayed after another radar outage and ongoing air traffic control challenges.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that Newark was operating under a ground delay program, causing average departure delays of 101 minutes.
By 1:45 p.m., the airport had canceled 80 flights and delayed 129, as reported by FlightAware, NBC said.
These delays are part of a broader pattern of increasing disruptions that have been plaguing the airport since mid-April.
The FAA cited radar outages and a shortage of air traffic controllers as primary causes.
This issue worsened on Sunday when a telecommunications failure at the Philadelphia air traffic control facility, which manages Newark's airspace, caused significant slowdowns. Passengers were hit with delays as the FAA temporarily reduced flight operations to ensure safety.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the ongoing issues and explained that the Trump administration had decided to cut back on flight volumes at Newark for the coming weeks.
He stated that while these reductions are necessary to manage air traffic, they would likely be more pronounced in the afternoons, coinciding with busy international flight arrivals.
"We are trying to ensure that when you book a flight, it will actually take off as scheduled," Duffy said during an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press." He also noted that airlines serving Newark would meet this week to discuss the specifics of these reductions.
Newark Airport was marred by canceled flights and delays after a technical failure caused widespread disruption last week.
— PBS News (@NewsHour) May 7, 2025
Air traffic controllers who were in the thick of it have taken leave to recover from "traumatic stress," compounding a massive staffing shortage.
PBS News… pic.twitter.com/9C0GDk1GQ5
Newark Airport Faces Setbacks Amid Ongoing Radar Malfunctions
The disruption comes on the heels of another radar malfunction on Friday, which caused a brief halt to operations at Newark.
According to NY Post, the FAA confirmed a similar radar issue on April 28, which led to air traffic controllers taking time off to recover from the stress of the technical glitches.
These setbacks are compounded by a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers.
The FAA confirmed that some controllers have been forced to take leave due to trauma from the repeated outages, further exacerbating staffing shortages at Newark.
In response, the Trump administration has proposed a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the US air traffic control system. The plan includes new air traffic control centers and technology upgrades to better handle the nation's airspace.
To address the staffing crisis, Duffy revealed that a 20% up-front bonus would be offered to new controllers to fill gaps in the workforce.
Additionally, he announced plans to raise the mandatory retirement age for air traffic controllers from 56 to 61, aiming to retain experienced workers.
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