Widespread flight delays and cancellations at New Jersey¡¯s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) continued on Tuesday. As travelers are forced to deal with another day of widespread flight disruptions, officials are releasing new information on what caused the hub¡¯s initial operational breakdown.
On Monday April 28, air traffic controllers in Philadelphia, who are responsible for guiding flights in and out of Newark, ¡°temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control,¡± Galen Munroe, a union spokesperson for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in a statement to the New York Times. The controllers were ¡°unable to see, hear, or talk to¡± the incoming planes.?
After the equipment outage, a ground stop was issued for Newark airport, meaning no flights could depart or land at the facility for two hours, Aidan O¡¯Donnell, the general manager of New Jersey airports at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told the Times.
It¡¯s not clear how long the equipment outage lasted, but Bloomberg reports it was down for 90 seconds. After the communication breakdown, several of the controllers involved in the incident decided to take leaves of absence, which are allowed under federal law if a worker experiences injury or a traumatic event on the job, Munroe told the Times.
¡°Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers,¡± the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement. ¡°Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures 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.¡±?
On Tuesday morning, there were 163 delays at 100 cancellations Newark as of 11 a.m. ET, according to FlightAware. Newark-bound flights were being delayed at their airports of origin for about two hours and 40 minutes. ¡°When staffing or equipment issues occur, the FAA will ensure safety by slowing the rate of arrivals into the airport,¡± the FAA¡¯s statement said.
Aviation officials are looking to immediately enhance the system with backup support and technology upgrades. ¡°Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce,¡± the FAA said. ¡°As [Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy] has said, 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.¡±
On Monday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wrote a letter to Secretary Duffy, requesting that the New York-area air travel system be a priority for any system upgrades and new personnel. ¡°As the FAA works to address the yearslong shortfalls, I urge you to prioritize the region, the busiest airspace in the nation, by immediately addressing Philadelphia TRACON Area C staffing levels and developing a plan to address chronic staffing shortages at New York TRACON,¡± Governor Murphy¡¯s letter states.
The FAA has faced an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers in recent years. United States airspace is short about 3,000 air traffic controllers, according to Governor Murphy¡¯s letter. Back in February, Secretary Duffy launched a hiring plan to ¡°supercharge the air traffic controller workforce.¡± Under the package, prospective air traffic controllers would receive financial incentives for hitting certain training milestones, including $5,000 for graduation from the initial training program, $5,000 for new hires who complete their qualification training, and $10,000 for graduates who are assigned to one of 13 hard-to-staff air traffic facilities.?
The plan would also provide a 20% annual bonus to current air traffic controllers who are eligible for retirement but under the mandatory retirement age of 56.?
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