Newark air traffic slowed as official says flights 'are absolutely safe'
The slowdown comes in the wake of stunning revelations that controllers lost radio contact with pilots flying into one of the nation's busiest airports in recent months.
"The FAA has been slowing arrivals and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport due to runway construction at Newark and staffing and technology issues at Philadelphia" where the Terminal Radar Approach Control system (TRACON) guides regional air traffic, according to an FAA statement.
"The FAA is taking immediate steps to improve the reliability of operations at Newark Liberty International Airport. This includes accelerating technological and logistical improvements and increasing air traffic controller staffing."
Scott Kirby, CEO of Untied Airlines, one of the EWR's major carriers, insisted that travelers should feel safe flying out of Newark.
"First and most importantly, all the flights in and out of EWR are absolutely safe," Kirby said in a statement on Wednesday. "When there are FAA issues — technology outages, staffing shortages, etc. — the FAA requires all airlines to slow down aircraft and/or cancel flights to maintain the highest levels of safety."
Even if a airliner loses contact with air traffic controllers, pilots know how to safely guide their jets, the airline executive said.
"We do our part to maintain safety as well. As you all know, our pilots have thousands of hours of flight experience and supplement that with regular simulator training — we also have procedures that our pilots follow to re-establish communication if controllers lose radio contact to navigate the airplane safely to its destination," Kirby added.
"In short, neither the FAA nor United pilots will ever compromise on safety."
Despite these assurances, air safety has come under increasing scrutiny in the wake of several tragedies that've unfolded this year.
An American Eagle jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter collided in the air over Reagan Airport outside of Washington D.C., killing all 67 people aboard both crafts on Jan. 29.
An air ambulance crashed in northeast Philadelphia, killing seven people and injuring about two dozen more on Feb. 1.
Bering Air Flight 445 crashed on its way from Unalakleet, Alaska to Nome on Feb. 6, killing all 10 people on board.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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