United Airlines has reduced 35 flights per day (10% of daily flights) from Newar Liberty International Airport Hub in New Jersey since May 3rd.
The decision follows a chaotic week at Newark, with United delaying or decouping dozens of flights due to technology impairments used by FAA air traffic controllers.
“The technology that FAA air traffic controllers rely on to manage planes coming and going to Newark Airport has failed. Dozens of diverted flights, hundreds of delayed and cancelled flights, and, in the worst case, thousands of customers who have hampered their travel plans have written to customers via email.
He said that more than 20% of FAA controllers assigned to Newark “retirement from work,” making the situation worse when things got worse and more difficult to handle scheduled traffic.
“This particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years without these controllers, and the FAA is now clear. They say Newark Airport cannot handle the number of planes it is set to go up and running in weeks and months,” he said.
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Unions representing the Air Traffic Controllers (National Air Traffic Control Association), the FAA and the Transportation Agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Last year, the agency moved Newark airspace management to Philadelphia to address crowds and staffing shortages in the New York City area.
U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged growing tensions in air traffic infrastructure during his visit to Philadelphia’s FAA Terminal Radar Approach Control on Friday.
FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau said the agency is investigating the recent suspension in Newark. “We need to make sure the controllers have the right equipment and make sure they are clearly in place,” he said on May 1.
The major US airlines have requested the FAA to extend the exemption from the busy minimum flight requirements at New York City area airports until October 2027.
These exemptions allow airlines to retain takeoff and landing slots even if they are not using at least 80% of their time.
United have previously cut Newark’s schedule due to FAA staffing issues. In November 2024, the airline said it was forced to disrupt travel for more than 343,000 customers and cut traffic at the airport for dozens of days.
Kirby said United have been urging the government over the years to address Newark’s chronic issues. “These challenges are nothing new to Newark. United have been using their authority to effectively limit airports to what they can realistically deal with. Past failures to make these changes have led to the situations facing United and most importantly our clients,” he writes.
He supports the new administration’s proposal for “large systemwide investment in FAA technology, infrastructure and staffing,” but called for immediate action in Newark, including designating it as a slot control level 3 airport.
“By using the authority it has, the FAA can help Newark meet the incredible potential of becoming a safe, reliable and efficient gateway to a world where it travels through America,” Kirby said.
United’s latest cuts will be implemented because they are not resolved immediately as airlines try to minimize traveler confusion in what they describe as “the problem with the close structural FAA staff.”
