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Air traffic controllers in Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control
had been guiding planes to Newark Liberty International Airport in New
Jersey last week when communication went down.
ôApproach, are you there?ö one pilot asked the controller, who had stopped responding. United Airlines flight 1951, flying from New Orleans to
Newark, a major hub for the company, tried to radio the controller five
times before they got a response.
ôUnited 1951, how do you hear me?ö the controller finally asks, according
to air traffic control conversations recorded by the website LiveATC.net.
ôI got you loud and clear, United 1951,ö the pilot responds.
But those 30 seconds of silence when communication went down ultimately cascaded into a weeklong meltdown at Newark, one of the nationÆs largest airports. It resulted in delays and cancellations for thousands of
customers, controllers taking leave for trauma, and renewed scrutiny on an outdated air traffic control system.
The chaos also highlighted the challenges of an understaffed air traffic control system, the latest incident in an already turbulent year for
aviation that included a deadly collision between a passenger jet and US
army helicopter.
ôI donÆt know where you areö
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Monday traffic
controllers had lost the primary communication and the backup line did not immediately take over. Audio obtained by CNN shows the tense moments from
the afternoon of April 28.
ôUnited (flight) 674, radar contact lost,ö a controller tells a pilot
flying to Newark from Charleston, South Carolina. ôWe lost our radar so
just stay on the arrival and maintain 6000 (feet).ö
The same flight, traveling at hundreds of miles an hour, returns to the
radar but does not show up in an accurate position.
The connectivity between Federal Aviation Administration radar and the frequencies that air traffic controllers use to manage planes flying in
and out of the airport ôcompletely failed,ö a source with knowledge of the situation said. Without radar, another approach controller told the pilot
of a smaller aircraft to rely on towers for clearance.
ôDo I have bravo clearance?ö the pilot asks. Bravo clearance is permission
to enter into the airspace surrounding a larger airport, like Newark
Liberty International.
ôNo, you do not have a bravo clearance. We lost our radar and itÆs not
working correctly. Radar service terminatesà If you want a bravo
clearance, you can just call the tower when you get closer,ö the
controller said.
About 15 û 20 flights were being controlled by Newark Liberty
International Airport approach controllers when communication and radar
went down on Monday, April 28, according to an analysis by flight tracking
site Flightradar24.
The number is based on the altitude of aircraft bound for and departing
Newark and audio from the approach radio frequency, Ian Petchenik, the
Director of Communications for the site tells CNN.
No crashes occurred, but at least five FAA employees took 45 days of
trauma leave afterward.
The incident has compounded existing staffing shortages and equipment
failures and contributed to frustrating hourslong delays for passengers,
Duffy told Fox News.
More than 150 flights into or out of the airport on Monday were canceled,
with more than 350 flights delayed, according to the flight tracking
website FlightAware.
The FAA has indicated it expects delays at the airport to continue due to
the staffing shortages. Duffy added that authorities will have to slow
traffic at Newark before restoring full capacity.
A traumatic event
The current shortage of air traffic controllers is nearly the worst in 30 years, said the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which
represents 10,800 certified air traffic controllers across the country.
The control facility responsible for traffic at Newark has been
ôchronically understaffed for years,ö United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said
in a Friday message addressing the delays. He also said the shortage was compounded by over 20% of FAA controllers who ôwalked off the jobö at
Newark Airport last week.
A CNN analysis of FAA airspace advisories shows at least 14 straight days
of FAA-imposed delays for flights to or from Newark.
The controllerÆs union said workers did not ôwalk off the job.ö
ôThe controllers didnÆt just walk off the job they were traumatized, their equipment failed,ö the source with knowledge of the situation said. ôItÆs written in the regulations if they experience a traumatic event ùthey can
take time off to go see psychiatrist.. the people working that day did
that.ö
But filling those empty positions is not an issue that can be sorted
overnight, according to the FAA.
Air traffic control applicants must be less than 31 years old so they can
work the mandatory 20 or 25 years needed to qualify for pensions before
their mandatory retirement age of 56, according to the FAA. Physical
stamina and mental sharpness is also required to do the job.
ôWhile we cannot quickly replace (the controllers) due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will
eventually be assigned to this busy airspace,ö the FAA said.
A frail system in place
Flights arriving to Newark were experiencing an average delay of 4 hours
and 54 minutes as of Monday evening.
One passenger, Geraldine Wallace, told CNN Sunday she was anxious about
the staffing shortage after her flight was delayed for almost three hours.
Mark Wallace, her partner, told CNN he was more worried about equipment failures.
ôAs concerning as the manpower issue is, according to news reports, the equipment that theyÆre using out of Philadelphia is antiquated,ö he said.
The Department of Transportation will announce a plan Thursday to
transform the air traffic control system, remodeling an outdated system
that contributed to days of delays at Newark International Airport, Duffy,
the transportation secretary, told Fox News on Monday.
The system used to manage air traffic at Newark is ôincredibly old,ö Duffy said.
ôWe use floppy disks. We use copper wires,ö he said Friday. ôThe system
that weÆre using is not effective to control the traffic that we have in
the airspace today.ö
Duffy has since pledged to implement a new, ôstate-of-the-artö system at
air traffic control facilities across the country that would be the ôenvy
of the worldö û but said it might take three to four years.
ôWe are going to radically transform the way air traffic control looks,ö
Duffy told Fox NewsÆ Laura Ingraham.
President Donald Trump has ôbought into the plan,ö he said.
Duffy also reiterated that the airspace was still safe.
Peter Goelz, former managing director of the National Transportation
Safety Board, said he wasnÆt sure heÆd want to fly out of Newark for the
next 10 days.
ôWe have a very safe system, but anytime itÆs stressed like this, where
you have controllers who are feeling under maximum pressure, it impacts
safety û and people have a right to be concerned,ö Goelz told CNN.
ôYou cannot expect humans to function at their highest level for sustained periods of time with this kind of pressure on them.ö
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/us/inside-the-multi-day-meltdown-at-newark- airport
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