As few as 3 radar controllers monitored Newark's airspace Monday night, FAA says
Newark Liberty International Airport experienced staffing issues on Monday night, with as few as three radar controllers scheduled per hour instead of the targeted 14, due to an ongoing national shortage of air traffic controllers. This shortage, along with technological problems and runway construction, has led to delays and cancellations as the FAA slows arrivals and departures to ensure safety. Despite concerns, experts like MIT's John Hansman believe that safety is not immediately compromised, though fatigue and stress could affect performance if the situation worsens. The transition of Newark's air traffic management to Philadelphia last summer faced criticism, and recent communications outages further complicated operations. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has criticized the air traffic control system as outdated and announced plans for its modernization.
Context:
Newark Liberty International Airport experienced staffing issues on Monday night, with as few as three radar controllers scheduled per hour instead of the targeted 14, due to an ongoing national shortage of air traffic controllers. This shortage, along with technological problems and runway construction, has led to delays and cancellations as the FAA slows arrivals and departures to ensure safety. Despite concerns, experts like MIT's John Hansman believe that safety is not immediately compromised, though fatigue and stress could affect performance if the situation worsens. The transition of Newark's air traffic management to Philadelphia last summer faced criticism, and recent communications outages further complicated operations. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has criticized the air traffic control system as outdated and announced plans for its modernization.
Dive Deeper:
On Monday evening, the Federal Aviation Administration reported that only three air traffic controllers were scheduled each hour at the Philadelphia radar center, which manages Newark Liberty International Airport's airspace, highlighting a significant staffing shortfall from the targeted 14 controllers per hour.
This staffing issue is part of a broader challenge facing the FAA, which includes a national shortage of air traffic controllers, technological malfunctions, and ongoing runway construction that have collectively disrupted operations at Newark, one of the country's busiest airports.
To maintain safety levels, the FAA has implemented traffic management strategies that involve slowing down arrivals and departures, resulting in numerous flight delays and cancellations that have frustrated passengers.
While experts like John Hansman from MIT assure that safety is not immediately at risk, they acknowledge that the extreme staffing shortages could lead to secondary issues like controller fatigue and stress, potentially affecting performance if not addressed.
Complicating matters further, the management of Newark's airspace was moved from Long Island to Philadelphia last summer, a decision criticized for not adequately addressing subsequent technical problems, and recent communications outages in Philadelphia temporarily slowed Newark's air traffic.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has publicly criticized the air traffic control system as antiquated and announced initiatives to overhaul and modernize it, aiming to prevent these issues from recurring in the future.