Top Democrat calls for investigation into ‘chaotic' Newark airport delays
The problems at Newark, a busy airport in New Jersey that acts as one of the main hubs for New York City and the surrounding region, have persisted since last week, causing serious issues for tens of thousands of travelers.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, who is from New York, called for an investigation into the 'chaos' that the Federal Aviation Authority says has been sparked by an air traffic controller shortage and thick cloud cover.
'To say that there is just minor turbulence at Newark airport and the FAA would be the understatement of the year. We're here because the FAA is really a mess. This mess needs a real forensic look, a deep look into it,' Schumer said. 'So today I am demanding a full inspector general investigation as to what went on.'
Schumer added: 'The chaos at Newark very well could be a harbinger if issues like these aren't fixed, and if the FAA can't get real solutions off the ground.'
Other politicians joined in.
New Jersey's Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, called the delays 'completely and utterly unacceptable' in a post on X, and said he knows US transportation secretary Sean Duffy is 'committed' to hiring more air traffic controllers.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a letter to customers over the weekend that the technology used to manage planes at the New Jersey airport failed more than once in recent days.
The flight delays, cancellations and diversions that the equipment problems caused were compounded when more than one-fifth of Newark's traffic controllers 'walked off the job', Kirby said.
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Faulting the FAA's alleged failure to address 'long-simmering' challenges related to the air-traffic control system, United cut 35 daily flights from its Newark schedule starting on Saturday.
Duffy, the transportation secretary, last week announced a program to recruit new controllers and give existing ones incentives not to retire.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a workers' union, said at the time that those moves could help address staffing shortages, but it also said the system is 'long overdue for technology and infrastructure upgrades'.
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