‘Avoid at all costs?’ Newark Airport experiences delays and cancellations as problems mount

When MSNBC correspondent Tom Costello reported on delays at Newark Liberty International Airport last week, he said a federal air safety employee described the gravity of the situation.

“It is not safe. It is not a safe situation right now for the flying public,” the unnamed to the public source reportedly told Costello. “Don’t fly into Newark. Avoid Newark at all costs.” Within days, that message has spread across social media as passengers with flights to and from Newark continue to encounter long delays and cancellations.

The root cause is an air traffic controller shortage, a nationwide issue the Trump administration has pledged to fix. In the meantime, news of the shortage and its widespread impacts have hit TikTok, with videos about passengers being nervous to fly in and out of Newark being viewed thousands of times.

The busy regional airport — located about an hour and a half away from Philadelphia International Airport and often treated as an alternative outpost for locals depending on their destination — has experienced disruptions since last week. It’s considered the 14th busiest airport in the country, according to the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics and is a major hub for United Airlines. From Newark, United flies to 76 U.S. cities and 81 international destinations.

On Sunday, United delayed more than 250 flights and canceled 35, according to FlightAware.

Here’s what we know.

The recent delays have been sparked by a combo of long-standing staff shortages and technical issues.

A nationwide air traffic controller shortage appears to be hitting the busy Newark Airport extra hard. The Federal Aviation Administration is short about 3,000 air traffic controllers, according to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.

Last week, air traffic controllers at the New Jersey airport walked off the job, Duffy said.

New details exclusively reported by the New York Post say that an incident on April 28 that caused a blackout for air traffic controllers overseeing Newark led to many workers taking trauma leave.

In addition, a Newark Airport runway is closed for “rehabilitation work” leaving the airport with only one functioning runway. Duffy also cited technology failures caused by outdated equipment.

While the issues at Newark have caused some ripple effects at other major airports nationwide, the acute issues seem to be mainly impacting the New York and New Jersey region.

While the Philadelphia airport hasn’t experienced delays as significant as Newark’s, the FAA says Philly’s traffic control center shares some blame for Newark’s delays.

According to an FAA spokesperson, the Philadelphia-based control center experienced telecommunications and equipment issues last week, which led to hundreds of delays and cancellations, plus dozens of flight diversions.

A New Jersey airport general manager for the New York and New Jersey Port Authority told the New York Times that those tech issues resulted in a two-hour standstill at Newark, where no flights departed or landed.

And as air traffic controller shortages in Philadelphia worsened, United‘s CEO, Scott Kirby, said the disruptions have also increased.

In a letter to customers published last Friday, Kirby said air traffic controller shortages have resulted in delays, disruptions, and a need for United to respond and cut back flights.

Kirby said the technology used to manage planes at the New Jersey airport failed more than once in recent days. The flight delays, cancellations, and diversions the equipment problems caused were compounded when more than one-fifth of Newark’s traffic controllers “walked off the job,” he said.

“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,” Kirby wrote.

“United is committed to doing absolutely everything in our power to minimize the impact that this will have on customers and so we are unilaterally canceling 35 round-trip flights per day from our Newark schedule starting this weekend,” he said. “It’s disappointing to make further cuts to an already reduced schedule at Newark, but since there is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues, we feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers.”

Kirby added that these challenges aren’t new to Newark, writing that United has urged the U.S. government for years to cap the number of flights to what an airport can realistically handle. “Past failure to make those changes had led to the circumstances that United and, most importantly, our customers now face,” he said.

FAA’s Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau said at a Thursday news conference that the agency was investigating existing technology and actively recruiting new air traffic controllers.

“At the end of the day, we need to make sure the controllers have the proper equipment and that they’re obviously appropriately staffed,” he said.

The FAA is currently imposing delays to and from Newark to maintain safety.

While the unnamed air safety employee’s comments about Newark’s safety has stoked widespread concern, experts insist the airport has infrastructure in place to maintain a safe environment. On Reddit, some recent passengers spoke about their experiences. Many said that while they encountered delays, they thought highly of their flight teams.

When asked about customer safety concerns, the FAA said in a statement to The Inquirer that its “antiquated air traffic control system” was impacting the workforce and that the agency was working to upgrade its technology.

“Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers. Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages,” the FAA said. “While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace.”

The Inquirer has reached out to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for comment.

United Airlines is encouraging customers to consider alternate airports in the area to avoid the ongoing delays and cancellations.

As of Monday afternoon, at least 289 flights in or out of Newark had experienced delays and more than 150 had been canceled, according to FlightAware.

For travelers with upcoming flights through Newark, it’s worth considering a Plan B in case there are disruptions. Experts also suggest booking flights earlier in the day, which are less likely to be impacted by ripple effects from delays and cancellations.

The Trump administration says it’s working to boost and incentivize the air traffic controller workforce in response to the nationwide shortage. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a workers’ union, said that staff additions would help but that it’s only one piece of the puzzle, citing long-standing technology and infrastructure issues.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy sent a letter to Duffy with the Department of Transportation commenting on the recent delays and cancellations.

In his letter, Murphy urged Duffy to prioritize the New Jersey region as his department aims to hire more FAA employees and upgrade tech.

“As you work with Congress to fund additional investments in air traffic management systems, the New Jersey-New York region should be prioritized for technology and facility upgrades,” Murphy wrote. “We expect millions of additional passengers next year as we prepare to host the World Cup Finals and must avoid additional disruptions or strains on the system.”

Probably not soon enough. Kirby with United said in his letter to customers that a resolution doesn’t seem imminent.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.