Newark Airport Loses Radar Second Time

Newark Airport experienced its second radar outage in just two weeks on Friday, amplifying concerns about the aging air traffic control system that has contributed to hundreds of flight delays and cancellations across the region.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a “telecommunications outage” affected radar displays and communications at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Airport, according to Patch.

Brief but Alarming System Failure

The latest outage occurred at 3:55 a.m. Friday and lasted approximately 90 seconds, during which air traffic controllers temporarily lost visual contact with aircraft under their guidance. Controllers were heard notifying a FedEx plane that their screens had gone dark, according to ABC News.

This incident closely follows a more serious outage on April 28 that resulted in hundreds of flight delays, diversions, and cancellations when controllers similarly lost radar and communications capabilities.

Equipment and Staffing Crisis Deepens

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has attributed these technical failures to an “incredibly old” and outdated system that reportedly still relies on floppy disks and copper wires. “The system that we’re using is not effective to control the traffic that we have in the airspace today,” Duffy stated during a recent press conference.

The technological problems are compounded by severe staffing shortages, with several air traffic controllers taking trauma leave following the April 28 incident. This shortage has further strained an already vulnerable system at one of the nation’s busiest airports.

Airlines Respond with Schedule Reductions

United Airlines, which maintains a hub at Newark, has announced the cancellation of 35 daily roundtrip flights from its schedule at the airport. The airline’s CEO indicated that the facility “cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” based on FAA guidance.

The cascading problems have continued to affect travelers, with nearly 300 delays and more than 130 cancellations reported at Newark Airport as of Friday afternoon, according to FlightAware.

Federal Action Planned

Transportation officials have outlined plans to address both the equipment and staffing challenges. The FAA intends to “accelerate technological and logistical improvements” while boosting recruitment efforts to hire at least 2,000 air traffic controllers nationwide this year.

Governor Phil Murphy has noted that “decades of underinvestment” have created a fragile air traffic control system that extends beyond New Jersey’s borders, suggesting the problems require both immediate intervention and long-term infrastructure investments.