Why the Newark Airport Crisis Affects You: What You Need to Know

There are more planes in the sky than ever. In 2024, the FAA monitored nearly 16.8 million flights. That’s a half-million more than the previous year. Surprisingly, the air traffic control system they use was built back in the early 1990s. At that time, controllers managed far fewer flights and technology was much simpler.

The FAA has struggled with budget cuts and understaffing for years. This underfunding has made it tough to keep the system safe and efficient. One glaring example of this is Newark Liberty International Airport, where problems have started to emerge.

Recently, Newark was in the spotlight when air traffic controllers suddenly lost communication with pilots. On April 28, 2025, around 1:27 PM, several flights reported issues connecting with the control tower, creating panic among pilots. They quickly tried to establish communication, asking, “Can you hear us?” Eventually, contact was restored, but controllers were clearly anxious about the situation.

Within moments, every radar screen at Newark went dark again. Controllers had to use their training to manage air traffic without radar, guiding pilots to safe holding patterns while they regained control.

Dr. Hassan Shahidi, president of the FlightSafety Foundation, explained that such emergencies are part of the job. “Emergency traffic is prioritized,” he noted. However, even brief outages can create significant disruptions. Although the radar systems came back online after just a minute and a half, it took hours to resume normal operations. By the end of the day, more than a dozen flights were canceled, and about 30 were diverted.

Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. Just a week later, Newark faced another problem with radar communication. This was the sixth outage in a matter of months, raising alarms about the reliability of Newark’s air traffic control systems.

Michael McCormick, a former air traffic controller, highlighted the strain on resources. “The airspace around New York is the most complex in the world,” he said. Controllers manage over 6,000 flights daily, with Newark handling nearly a quarter of that traffic. Staffing levels have plummeted in recent years as the FAA has struggled to attract and retain personnel. In 2023, Newark’s control center was operating with only half of the required staff.

Wages have not kept up with the cost of living in New York, creating a vicious cycle of low retention and increasing overtime. The FAA has attempted various initiatives to improve staffing but faced consistent failure.

A 2023 audit revealed that Newark TRACON was operating at two-thirds of its needed staff. Delays were inevitable, especially during busy seasons. In peak travel months, one out of three flights was delayed by over an hour.

In a desperate move to address staffing issues, the FAA decided to relocate Newark’s operations to a better-staffed facility in Philadelphia in 2024. However, this move was met with resistance from many controllers, and only a portion agreed to relocate. Even with relocation bonuses, the FAA struggled to fill positions.

Worse still, critical infrastructure improvements have been neglected. Instead of installing new servers, the FAA has opted for outdated solutions, using telemetry sent over long-distance copper lines—creating more room for error.

Considering that the FAA experiences around 700 outages weekly, combining outdated systems with lagging communication channels can lead to high-stakes issues. A recent internal study suggested that equipment failure rates were minuscule, but these figures seem rosy compared to reality. Over the past several months, Newark’s remote data feeds have already experienced outages exceeding recommended standards.

It’s clear that the FAA’s challenges stem not just from technological failures but also from chronic underfunding and an inability to adapt to growing demands. Despite their efforts, the agency has a long way to go to fix these issues.

As Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy promises safer air travel, the reality remains unsettling. Air traffic controllers are working hard to ensure safety despite a framework that feels increasingly precarious. The fate of countless flights—and the people onboard—rests on the edge of a knife.



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