Air traffic controllers at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) have taken time off to “recover from the stress of multiple recent outages” at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced.
TRACON controllers lost access to the systems that assist in directing aircraft to Newark airport on April 28, 2025. As a result, hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled at the airport that day.
The FAA confirmed that the issue was related to problems with telecommunications and radar equipment at TRACON and added that “staffing issues” had contributed to the incident.
In a statement shared with CNN, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said controllers at TRACON “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them.”
“Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce,” the FAA said in a statement issued on May 5, 2025.
The agency said it was 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. The FAA added it was updating the automation system to improve resiliency.
“Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers,” the agency continued, adding that some controllers have taken time off as a result. At least five FAA workers took 45 days off due to the incident, sources told CNN.
“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,” the statement read. For now the FAA said it will ensure safety by “slowing the rate of arrivals into the airport.”
United CEO Scott Kirby reacts to FAA staff shortages
On May 2, 2025, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby announced in a statement that the airline, which is the largest carrier at Newark airport, would cancel 35 roundtrip flights daily from Newark starting the weekend of May 3, 2025.
“Keep in mind, this particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years and without these controllers, it’s now clear – and the FAA tells us – that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” Kirby explained.
He added: “It’s disappointing to make further cuts to an already reduced schedule at Newark, but since there is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues, we feel like there is no other choice.”
Kirby also pointed out that these challenges are not new to Newark and United has been asking the US government for years to “effectively limit the number of flights to what the airport can realistically handle.”
“Past failure to make those changes had led to the circumstances that United and, most importantly, our customers now face,” he added.