The disruptions in Newark air traffic were just the tip of the iceberg.
Failures in air traffic control are much more common than most people think.
On June 2, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Newark Liberty International Airport to commemorate the reopening of runway 4L-22R. This event was unusual, as few runway reopenings are significant enough to warrant the presence of the airport's CEO, let alone a cabinet secretary. However, Newark has largely come to symbolize the inefficient management of the air traffic control system by the USDOT. The ceremony and press conference were intended to transform the perception of Newark, presenting it as an example of progress and action.
Duffy emphasized that the issues in Newark were solvable and highlighted the group of people accompanying him—included Chris Rocheleau, Acting Administrator of the FAA, and Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines—as the problem solvers for these challenges. Thanks to their collaboration, the reconstruction of the runway was completed in just 47 days, and Verizon was able to expedite the installation of a new fiber optic cable. Additionally, a "system failure" that had left Newark air traffic controllers without communication with pilots for several minutes was identified and resolved.
Based on these actions, Rocheleau anticipated that Newark could increase its flight volume by 25%, which translates to almost 12 additional flights per hour. Kirby described this situation as a turning point for both the short and long term in the airport's operations. However, two days later, expectations faded. On the night of June 4, a shortage of air traffic controllers forced Newark to issue a ground stop, leading to delays for over 100 flights for several hours. Subsequently, another delay related to staffing was reported.
Merely optimism is insufficient to resolve infrastructure issues that have developed over decades and that are more widespread than one might imagine. Aside from the incidents in Newark, there have been approximately a dozen situations this year where equipment or staffing issues have significantly impacted operations at air traffic control centers across the country. Among the more severe incidents were those that occurred in Kansas City in January, Oakland in February, and Denver in May, where controllers experienced radar and radio system failures, preventing them from communicating with pilots.
In March, an electrical fire at Baltimore's Thurgood Marshall Airport, caused by "overloaded old equipment," paralyzed operations for more than two hours, resulting in 50 flight cancellations and over 150 delays. Additionally, on two occasions, the FAA's NOTAM system, which provides real-time notifications about hazards and traffic advisories, went down for several hours, resulting in more than 1,300 delays and cancellations.
The problem lies not only in technology. Currently, the FAA faces a shortage of over 3,000 air traffic controllers nationwide, which has led some control centers to implement "staffing triggers," reducing the number of flights in their airspace to match the reduced staffing levels. This has happened at several facilities, including those responsible for Austin and the regional airports around New York.
The crisis in the air traffic control system is even more extensive than reported. A recent review by the Government Accountability Office revealed that 90% of the nation’s critical air traffic control infrastructure is either scheduled for or overdue for a "technology upgrade." Nearly half of the 138 systems analyzed were deemed "unsustainable." Although the FAA has been aware of the problem for decades, the Next Generation system, promised as a replacement for the outdated infrastructure, is still far from full implementation, which was expected this year.
Meanwhile, controllers continue to grapple with outdated equipment and a lack of staff that forces them to work long hours. One controller on Reddit described the current situation as “the worst time to be an air traffic controller in the U.S. since 1981,” the year when President Ronald Reagan fired over 11,000 of them following a strike.
On May 8, Duffy presented a "Plan for a New Air Traffic Control System," a framework aimed at reinvesting in the National Airspace System. Despite the ambition, concrete details are scarce, and it is evident that sustained long-term effort, with adequate funding and political support, is needed to address the structural issues that have taken root since the early 2000s. While efforts in Newark and elsewhere are acknowledged, the road to lasting solutions is long and complex.
