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Newark Airport has 2nd communications meltdown in 2 weeks, FAA says
By
Giulia Heyward
Published May 9, 2025
Modified May 9, 2025
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Kena Betancur / AFP via Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published May 9, 2025
Modified May 9, 2025
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Newark Liberty International Airport experienced yet another tech outage on Friday, federal officials said, signaling that the issues that have led to hundreds of flight delays and cancellations in recent weeks are poised to continue.
The telecommunications outage occurred around 3:55 a.m. and lasted for approximately 90 seconds, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency provided few details but said the outage affected the Philadelphia-based control center that guides planes in and out of the airport’s airspace.
The meltdown comes less than two weeks after the center’s air traffic controllers lost radar and radio communications with aircraft for about 90 seconds on April 28. Flights went into a holding pattern at the time, and some air traffic controllers went on trauma leave after the episode, according to the national air traffic controllers union and FAA.
The previous outage and headaches for Newark travelers have led lawmakers and others to call for the federal government to fix the antiquated air traffic technology and boost controller staffing. Last summer, the FAA moved some of Newark's air traffic control operations to Philadelphia from New York, which runs JFK and LaGuardia.
The latest outage comes about two weeks before Memorial Day weekend, one of the busiest travel times of the year.
"Enough is enough. The connection between New York airspace and the Philadelphia air traffic control center must be fixed now," Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement Friday. "The backup system that is not working must be fixed."
The FAA reported some Newark-bound flights were delayed more than four hours on Friday due to weather conditions. FlightAware, which tracks air traffic, said there were more than 300 delayed flights and more than 130 canceled flights at the airport as of midday, but it was unclear if those were related to the early-morning outage at the Philadelphia control center.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
newark
new jersey
flying
transportation
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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