Overview

• Newark Liberty International Airport experienced a 45-minute ground stop on May 11 due to another air traffic control equipment outage, the third major disruption since late April.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans to temporarily reduce flight volumes at Newark for the next several weeks to stabilize operations and improve reliability.
• The Federal Aviation Administration is working on technical fixes, including adding high-bandwidth connections and establishing a STARS hub at the Philadelphia TRACON, to modernize outdated systems.
• A nationwide air traffic controller shortage, worsened by trauma leave and early retirements, has exacerbated delays and cancellations, with Newark seeing an average of 34 daily cancellations since mid-April.
• Retention incentives, including a 20% upfront bonus and a proposed increase in the retirement age from 56 to 61, are being introduced to address staffing challenges.