Can Newark Airport fix its long list of problems?

Insider

Newark Liberty International Airport has been dealing with the shutdown of a major runway, outdated equipment and a shortage of air traffic controllers, all contributing to major flight delays. So is there a plan to fix one of America's busiest airports?

Transcript

00:00What's going on at Newark Airport? Since April 28, four air traffic control equipment outages

00:06at Newark have slowed down or grounded flights. The most recent one happened May 19th,

00:12when air traffic control lost radio contact with flights in the air. And even though this only

00:17lasted for two seconds, it was another red flag on an already long list of issues at this airport.

00:23Newark has been dealing with the shutdown of a major runway,

00:26outdated equipment, and a shortage of air traffic controllers. And that's an actual problem.

00:32The FAA needs about 3,000 more controllers to keep things running smoothly across the U.S.

00:39Last week, the FAA met with major carriers, United, Delta, JetBlue, and more, to find the path forward.

00:46The result? A plan to reduce congestion, upgrade tech, and cap traffic at the airport.

00:52The FAA has proposed to limit arrivals and departures at Newark to 28 planes an hour,

00:58until runway construction stops on June 15, 2025. Outside construction, the limit bumps to 34 flights

01:06per hour, still lower than normal. The FAA is also adding fiber optic connections,

01:12backup systems, and hiring more controllers, with training classes filled through 2026. Still,

01:18newer travelers might want to brace for a summer of delays, slower operations, and fewer flights.

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