Air traffic controllers at New Jersey’s Newark airport briefly lost contact with planes due to ‘staff shortage’

For more than a week, the New Jersey airport has been struggling with staff shortages. According to the union of National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the controller “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them,” NBC News reported.

FAA statement about @EWRairport flight operations:

Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce. As @SecDuffy has said, we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible. We are working to ensure the current…

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) May 5, 2025

The United States’ aviation watchdog Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acknowledged the staff shortage and said “our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our work force.”

Due to the earlier FAA equipment outage, #EWR is experiencing residual delays. Please contact your airline for the status of your flight.

— Newark Liberty International Airport (@EWRairport) April 28, 2025

The FAA said on Monday that since the April 28 incident of air traffic controllers losing communication with aircrafts, staffing shortages have followed. The recent incident was severe enough that some of the controllers involved “have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages.”

According to FlightAware, New Jersey situated Newark airport faced more than 1,500 delays last week due to the shortages of air traffic controllers.

United Airlines faced the brunt last week as it announced cancellation of 35 flights per day from its Newark schedule since the airport “cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there,” BBC reported.