Air traffic controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport briefly lost their communication and radar Friday morning for the second time in recent weeks.
A prior incident occurred on April 28th, with air traffic controllers losing radar and radio communication for nearly 90 seconds.
Air Traffic Controllers Take ‘Trauma Leave’ At Newark After 90-Second Radar And Communication Outage
Per CNBC:
Air traffic controllers who guide planes in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport lost radar and communication with aircraft before dawn on Friday in another 90-second outage, the Federal Aviation Administration said, hours after the Trump administration unveiled a plan to overhaul the aging technology that keeps U.S. airspace space safe.
The outage occurred at about 3:55 a.m. ET, the FAA said. There are far fewer aircraft flying overnight, so disruptions were minimal compared with a similar outage on the afternoon of April 28, which snarled air travel for days.
Several controllers took leave because of the stress of that April incident, the FAA said. That exacerbated low staffing levels at the Philadelphia facility tasked with guiding planes in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, forcing the FAA to slow the airport’s traffic.
Like in the April incident, Friday’s outage left controllers unable to communicate with aircraft and their radar screens dark.
"There was a telecommunications outage that impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace. The outage occurred around 3:55 a.m. on Friday, May 9, and lasted approximately 90 seconds," the FAA wrote.
FAA Statement
This information is preliminary and subject to change.
There was a telecommunications outage that impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace. The…
— The FAA ✈ (@FAANews) May 9, 2025
From the Associated Press:
That first radar outage led to hundreds of flights being canceled or delayed at the Newark airport in the past two weeks after the FAA slowed down traffic at the airport to ensure safety. Five controllers also went on trauma leave after that outage, worsening the existing shortage. It’s not clear if any additional controllers will go on leave now.
The number of cancellations of Newark departures jumped from the low 40s to 57 after this latest outage to lead the nation, according to FlightAware.com. Newark ranks second in the number of cancelled arrivals with 60, but that number also increased Friday morning. Nearly 300 delays were reported at the airport. Officials said there have been more than 1,700 cancellations and delays at the airport this week.
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer blamed the problems that have plagued Newark on the lack of proper air traffic controller staffing and modern technology. He said at a news conference Friday that there are currently 22 controllers working, and that number should be in the 60s. And many of the lines connecting controllers to the radar are outdated copper wires. He said the April 28 outage was caused by one of those copper wires getting fried.
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