United Airlines CEO, Scott Kirby, stood confidently before an impressive Airbus jet at Newark Liberty International Airport this past Tuesday, signaling a moment of triumph.
Following a chaotic spring marred by air traffic control failures and personnel shortages, United, the airport’s primary carrier, has seen a significant recovery. Kirby praised his team’s dedication and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) efforts in managing air traffic.
Addressing hundreds, including many United staff, Kirby declared that the collaborative work with the FAA resulted in ‘the most reliable summer in our history’ for Newark.
However, a sense of unease persists among some Newark air traffic controllers, who doubt the sustainability of these improvements. Several sources, granted anonymity due to fear of repercussions, voiced concerns from the control center overseeing the airport’s flights. A striking image captured at the United Airlines operations center at Newark Liberty International Airport highlights its crucial role, handling roughly a quarter of the airline’s international flights.
Controller staffing levels at Newark have notably decreased since last spring. New leadership, brought in after the April and May tech failures, has been reportedly rejecting time-off requests from controllers and supervisors. While ostensibly an attempt to boost attendance, this move has reportedly further eroded already low morale.
Despite recent FAA upgrades, persistent equipment problems from the spring continue to challenge controllers, most of whom operate from a Philadelphia office. This has led to intermittent communication difficulties with pilots managing Newark’s air traffic.
In an official statement, FAA officials implied that the previous administration under President Biden allowed Newark’s equipment issues to worsen, crediting President Trump’s transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, for swift resolutions. They claimed, ‘Unlike the previous administration, which experienced a significant number of outages at Newark, Secretary Duffy prioritized addressing the problems and resolved them in record time.’
The agency also reported 21 certified controllers are currently on staff, with one on medical leave, and an additional 29 individuals undergoing training, some expected to be certified within the month.
However, aviation experts caution that sustained progress is still uncertain, emphasizing that it’s premature to determine if the FAA’s actions have truly stabilized the airport’s air traffic control operations.
Bob Mann, a former airline executive and industry consultant, suggested that it might take ‘another summer before you really get a sense of whether it’s truly fixed or whether it’s still getting there.’
For the time being, both United and the FAA can celebrate a temporary success. Another visual reinforces the struggle: photos show the ongoing equipment issues hindering air traffic controllers’ ability to communicate effectively with pilots in the Newark area.
Data from aviation firm Cirium reveals a stark contrast: in May, over 6% of Newark flights were canceled, significantly higher than other major New York airports. By August, cancellations dropped to approximately 1%. While Newark still saw more delays than its counterparts, United reported that its flights from Newark had better on-time arrival rates compared to many other regional airlines.
Newark remains a pivotal hub for United, handling nearly a quarter of its international departures. This week, the airline proudly announced over six million on-time flights from Newark this summer—a record high. Kirby, with a touch of humor, highlighted an ‘unusual’ eight-day period where the FAA issued no ground stops for Newark-bound flights.
United attributes this summer’s improved performance to several key factors: the early completion of extensive runway construction at the airport, and the FAA’s decision to limit hourly flights into and out of Newark through next year.
Kirby conceded that the FAA still faces significant tasks, particularly in technology modernization and increasing the number of trained air traffic controllers.
The widespread technology failures that disrupted last spring, such as a complete loss of radar and radio communication for some controllers on one day in April, have largely been addressed, according to three individuals familiar with the airport’s operations. A new fiber-optic line became active in July, and satellite connections now serve as vital backups for faulty radios. Radar images are now much more dependable, and radio interruptions are notably briefer.
However, a review of FAA records and discussions with insiders from the Newark air traffic office indicate a resurgence of certain issues since late August.
For instance, on August 27th and 28th, unreliable radio communication between controllers and pilots necessitated a temporary reduction in flight departures and arrivals. This led to prolonged delays, confirmed by FAA alerts and local news outlets. The FAA acknowledged reports of ‘static and other minor frequency issues’ and stated that investigations are ongoing.
Just days later, on September 2nd, a Philadelphia-based controller briefly lost radio contact with pilots for roughly 45 seconds. This was followed by a series of radio issues, including static and crackling, impacting airports across the wider New York region, from Long Island to Philadelphia.
Simultaneously, the FAA reported that poor weather and insufficient staffing triggered a ground stop at Newark, causing widespread arrival delays throughout the New York area. The agency clarified that these particular disruptions were not due to equipment malfunctions.
These ongoing technological difficulties exacerbate the workload for Philadelphia’s already strained controller staff, who are regularly working extended shifts and overtime.
Adding to the challenge, two seasoned controllers recently retired. Another controller is currently inactive due to a medical certification issue, and a fourth, who experienced the 45-second radio loss on September 2nd, is on leave to recover from the incident.
Although three trainees are nearing certification, Philadelphia’s staffing levels have dropped below the FAA’s reported count of 24 in early June, a consequence of recent retirements and other absences.
This staffing crisis could intensify next summer, as over a dozen controllers who temporarily moved to Philadelphia when the FAA established the Newark hub there in 2024 will become eligible to return to their original New York base.
United Airlines faces significant financial repercussions from these ongoing challenges. The disruptions last spring, which caused passengers to avoid the airport, shaved approximately 1.2 percentage points off the airline’s profit margin in the spring financial quarter. The airline anticipates a further one-percentage-point loss in the current quarter ending in September.
Despite these hurdles, United remains optimistic. Its flights are once again operating at full capacity, and the airline announced plans on Tuesday to hire approximately 2,500 new employees to bolster its Newark operations.