Staffing and low ceilings are to blame for flight cancellations, and some arriving flights are delayed an average of 3 hours and 59 minutes, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
“The recent wave of cancellations and flight delays at Newark Liberty International Airport showcases the consequences federal mismanagement has on New Jersey citizens, businesses, and families,” Democratic New Jersey House Speaker Craig J. Coughlin said in a statement. “One of the country’s busiest transportation hubs, Newark is an essential cog in both the state and national economy.
“The cancellations, delays, and interruptions that occurred last week are unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue,” Coughlin added. “It is clear the FAA’s decisions have not kept pace with the demands of a modern and heavily traveled aviation system. New Jersey residents deserve more than apologies and temporary fixes. They deserve a safe and reliable transportation system every time they step into an airport.”
In a Friday message to customers, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the company “has been very clear and vocal about the need to fix the Air Traffic Control system in EWR.
“While we enthusiastically support the efforts underway to permanently and structurally fix the FAA, the long-simmering FAA challenges boiled over this week,” he said.
“In the past few days, on more than one occasion, technology that FAA air traffic controllers rely on to manage the airplanes coming in and out of Newark airport failed – resulting in dozens of diverted flights, hundreds of delayed and canceled flights and worst of all, thousands of customers with disrupted travel plans,” Kirby added. “Unfortunately, the technology issues were compounded as over 20% of the FAA controllers for EWR walked off the job. 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.”
