Multiple air traffic controllers are taking trauma leave after losing all communication with aircraft for 30 to 90 seconds at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on April 28, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The effects of that incident are still being felt. On Monday, May 5, another 160 flights were canceled and 375 were delayed going into or coming out of Newark.
What happened on April 28?
On Monday, April 28, controllers in Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), which coordinates planes arriving at Newark, “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them,” according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
The outage reportedly lasted between 30 and 90 seconds.
More than a dozen flights were being controlled by Newark Airport controllers when communications went down, according to the flight tracking site Flightradar24.
Job market
The FAA currently has about 10,800 certified air traffic controllers, but it needs more than 14,000.
FAA response
The FAA said multiple air traffic control employees are on trauma leave to deal with the stress caused by the incident. CNN is reporting at least five employees took 45 days of leave.
In a statement on Monday, the FAA confirmed “our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our work force.”
The FAA is currently about 3,000 air traffic controllers short of desired levels. According to CNBC, there are currently 10,800 certified controllers, but the country needs more than 14,000.
The agency stepped up the pace of hiring in 2024 under President Joe Biden, but even though 2,000 qualified applicants were hired last year, they might barely replace the 1,100 who left the job either through retirement or due to the stress of the job.
According to the FAA, nearly half of those hired in any given year will wash out of the program. That means even with an increase in hiring, it could take up to 9 years to reach full staffing, according to Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
What’s being done to fix staffing issues?
Just last week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a plea for more air traffic controllers, offering $5,000 bonuses for new hires.
Duffy also warned that the air traffic control system is beginning to deteriorate.
“You’re starting to see cracks in the system,” Duffy said. “It‘s our job to actually see over the horizon what the issues are and fix it before there is an incident that we will seriously regret.”
Secretary Duffy said he will unveil a plan later this week to upgrade the agency’s equipment and facilities.
Calls for change
On Monday, May 5, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for an inspector general investigation into the problems at Newark.
“The FAA is really a mess,” Schumer said. “This mess needs a real forensic look, a deep look into it. We know that airlines have been canceling flights. We have ATC folks giving warnings. We have a 1990 technology being used in 2025, and we have safety issues, plain and simple.”
United Airlines impacted heavily
United Airlines flights have been particularly impacted, as Newark is the company’s East Coast hub. CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement released Friday, May 2, that United is canceling 35 roundtrip flights through Newark per day in a move to protect customers.
“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 said.
Kirby added that 20% of Newark’s air traffic control staff had “walked off the job” in recent weeks, making things worse at an airport that’s been “chronically understaffed for years” already.
