Starting in April of 2025, Newark Liberty Airport has faced a severe problem with their technology, as NBC News says this includes communication blackouts and equipment failures which understandably causes great fear among many.
According to CBS News, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently announced that there are 16 controllers in training at the Philadelphia facility which handles Newark flights. These trainees will become fully certified at various points in the coming months, which will help staffing. A Fox News interview with Secretary Duffy indicated that we are approximately 3,000 controllers short nationally and due to this staffing concern, Newark Liberty Airport faced a recent closed runway that has contributed to weeks of delays and chaos at the travel hub.
Active solutions are currently being implemented, as Secretary Duffy previously said he hoped to activate a new fiber line to improve Newark’s air traffic controller communication by the end of May. However, he now says the Federal Aviation Administration is using an abundance of caution in its testing process to make sure all goes smoothly, and he’s expecting the line to be active at the start of July if all goes well. (NBC News)
Thankfully, federal personnel and responsible parties are committed to implementing an immediate solution. Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said “Our goal is to relieve the substantial inconvenience to the traveling public from excessive flight delays due to construction, staffing challenges, and recent equipment issues, which magnify as they spread through the National Airspace System.” (NBC News) Ramapo Senior Arielle Gomberg expressed her concerns with delays, “Many students, including myself, will be taking flights to and from college starting this summer. I’m hoping this is rectified immediately.” In addition, Ramapo’s Mrs. Iwaki added, “I was supposed to take a trip to the Grand Canyon, but I had to cancel it because of the staff shortages.” The public should remain hopeful towards a quick resolution of this dilemma.
