The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been addressing various operational challenges at Newark Liberty International Airport. These issues include runway construction at Newark and staffing and technology problems at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), which manages aircraft in and out of the airport.
On May 11, 2025, a telecommunications issue occurred at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, briefly slowing aircraft movement to ensure redundancies were functioning correctly. Operations have since returned to normal.
Transportation Secretary Duffy and Acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau have directed the FAA to announce a delay reduction meeting for Newark Liberty International Airport. This meeting is scheduled for May 14, 2025, at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
On May 9, a telecommunications outage impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia TRACON Area C. The outage lasted approximately 90 seconds.
To improve reliability at Newark Liberty International Airport, the FAA is accelerating technological improvements and increasing air traffic controller staffing. Secretary Duffy and Acting Administrator Rocheleau are implementing several measures:
- Adding high-bandwidth telecommunications connections between New York-based STARS and Philadelphia TRACON.
- Replacing copper connections with fiberoptic technology.
- Deploying a temporary backup system during the switch to fiberoptic.
- Establishing a STARS hub at Philadelphia TRACON.
- Increasing controller staffing with ongoing training classes filled through July 2026.
Secretary Duffy emphasized the need for updated safety technology for controllers. The FAA is working on making telecommunications equipment more reliable by establishing a resilient configuration with local exchange carriers. An update to the automation system is also underway to improve resiliency.
Frequent outages have caused stress among controllers, leading some to take time off. While replacements are not immediate due to specialized training requirements, efforts continue to train new controllers for this busy airspace.
The public can access real-time updates about Newark Liberty International Airport's status on fly.faa.gov as these issues are addressed.
