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Expect major flight delays at Newark Airport on Sunday due to staffing shortages
By
Phil Corso
Published Nov 2, 2025
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Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
By
Phil Corso
Published Nov 2, 2025
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The Federal Aviation Administration is limiting arrivals at Newark Liberty International Airport to just 20 planes per hour on Sunday afternoon due to staffing shortages in the control tower, authorities said.
The staffing shortages are part of a wider strain on the nation’s air traffic system, which has been hit hard by the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Average delays were around two hours, with some flights delayed by more than three hours, officials said. The FAA said the slowdown could escalate into a full ground stop if staffing issues continue or demand increases later in the day.
These delays aren’t just affecting Newark.
Flights across the region, including at JFK and LaGuardia, may also encounter delays due to the ripple effect. Planes headed to Newark may be held at their origin airports and departures may be delayed if arriving flights can’t pull into their gates quickly enough.
On CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries from Brooklyn blamed the FAA disruptions on the ongoing government shutdown and Republican inaction.
“They fired more than 200,000 federal employees prior to them shutting the government down on Oct. 1,” Jeffries said. “And why are Republicans so unwilling to even sit down and have a conversation with their Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill in order to find a bipartisan path forward? It's because they are trying to inflict this cruelty on the American people."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Travelers should check their flight status before heading to the airport and expect longer-than-usual wait times.
And it’s not just delays. A United plane clipped another on the tarmac at LaGuardia on Friday, adding to the region’s air travel woes.
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Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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