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Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
FAA defends moving Newark airspace control to Philadelphia
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday defended moving Newark Liberty International Airport's airspace control to Philadelphia in a statement released in the wake of recent turmoil in the airport's operations. 'There is a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, and the FAA for years has not met the staffing goal for the area that works Newark airspace,' the FAA said in a statement obtained by The Hill's sister network NewsNation. 'The persistent low staffing levels and low training success rate at New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), or N90, were contributing factors to moving control of the Newark airspace to the Philadelphia TRACON in 2024,' the agency added. Over the weekend, the FAA slowed traffic at Newark due to a telecommunications issue at the Philadelphia facility, which directs planes into and out of the airport. The move followed the airport recently garnering national attention for staffing issues and technological challenges. Late last month, air traffic controllers in Philadelphia lost communications and radar with planes at Newark for close to 90 seconds. Hundreds of flights faced cancellation or delay due to the breakdown in communication and the blackout. Air traffic controllers later took absences via the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, which lets federal workers who are injured or go through trauma on the job take time off, making the situation at Newark worse. The FAA also seemed to suggest in its Tuesday statement that the Philadelphia TRACON fit Newark's airspace staffing needs better than the New York TRACON. 'Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which directs aircraft in and out of Newark, has 22 fully certified controllers, 5 fully certified supervisors, and 21 controllers and supervisors in training,' the FAA said in the statement. 'Ten of those 21 controllers and supervisors are receiving on-the-job training. All 10 are certified on at least one position in Area C and three are certified on multiple positions. This means they can work those positions without supervision from an instructor.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
13-05-2025
- General
- The Hill
FAA defends moving Newark airspace control to Philadelphia
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday defended moving Newark Liberty International Airport's airspace control to Philadelphia in a statement released in the wake of recent turmoil in the airport's operations. 'There is a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, and the FAA for years has not met the staffing goal for the area that works Newark airspace,' the FAA said in a statement obtained by The Hill's sister network NewsNation. 'The persistent low staffing levels and low training success rate at New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), or N90, were contributing factors to moving control of the Newark airspace to the Philadelphia TRACON in 2024,' the agency added. Over the weekend, the FAA slowed traffic at Newark due to a telecommunications issue at the Philadelphia facility, which directs planes into and out of the airport. The move followed the airport recently garnering national attention for staffing issues and technological challenges. Late last month, air traffic controllers in Philadelphia lost communications and radar with planes at Newark for close to 90 seconds. Hundreds of flights faced cancellation or delay due to the breakdown in communication and the blackout. Air traffic controllers later took absences via the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, which lets federal workers who are injured or go through trauma on the job take time off, making the situation at Newark worse. The FAA also seemed to suggest in its Tuesday statement that the Philadelphia TRACON fit Newark's airspace staffing needs better than the New York TRACON. 'Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which directs aircraft in and out of Newark, has 22 fully certified controllers, 5 fully certified supervisors, and 21 controllers and supervisors in training,' the FAA said in the statement. 'Ten of those 21 controllers and supervisors are receiving on-the-job training. All 10 are certified on at least one position in Area C and three are certified on multiple positions. This means they can work those positions without supervision from an instructor.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Live updates: Lawmakers talk Newark airport, mayor's arrest outside ICE detention center
Delays and cancellations upended operations at Newark Liberty International Airport this week, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said some air traffic controllers are taking time off following recent outages. On April 28, air traffic controllers briefly lost communication, for about 90 seconds, with planes at Newark Airport. The blackout and communication breakdown led to hundreds of flights being delayed or canceled. Three dozen flights were also diverted that day, said Aidan O'Donnell, the general manager of New Jersey airports, the New York Times reported. The situation worsened when air traffic controllers took absences under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, which allows federal workers who are injured or experience a trauma on the job to take time off. On Friday, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was detained after refusing to leave a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. Baraka, along with three members of the New Jersey congressional delegation — Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), Rob Menendez (D) and LaMonica McIver (D) — tried to get access to the Delaney Hall ICE detention center. 'Nothing happened for a long, long time, you know, for at least over an hour. And then, you know, after that, they finally told us to leave, and I told him I was leaving, they came outside the gate and arrested me,' Baraka said during his appearance on MSNBC's 'The Briefing' Friday night. 'So it looked like it was targeted.' He later added that ICE officials 'obviously targeted me.' Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, justified the administration's moves, claiming the mayor 'committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself' from the Delaney Hall ICE detention center. Several lawmakers are slated to appear on Sunday morning shows to discuss both situations. Read the full Sunday show lineup here and follow below for today's live updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mother's Day mayhem as ground stops issued at Newark and Atlanta airports
Ground stops issued at Newark Liberty International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday are impacting passengers if they were traveling into or out of two of the largest airports in the country on Mother's Day weekend. The ground stop at Atlanta's airport was issued Sunday morning and remained in effect until noon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, who said it was a result of "a runway equipment issue." The administration temporarily slowed arrivals to the airport, it said in a statement. "Technicians are working to address the problem," the FAA said. Over 530 flights flying into and out of the airport have been delayed as of Sunday afternoon, according to Three have been canceled. At Newark Airport in New Jersey, a ground stop issued at 8:15 a.m. has since been lifted, according to the FAA, in the latest in a series of issues that have plagued the airport over the last few weeks. 'The FAA briefly slowed aircraft in and out of the airport while we ensured redundancies were working as designed. Operations have returned to normal,' the FAA said in a statement on X. The FAA did not elaborate on why the ground stop was issued, but said there was a telecommunications issue at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, a traffic control facility that guides flights in and out of Newark. The facility's backup system worked as it was intended, but the FAA said slowed traffic to make sure it remained stable. The Philadelphia TRACON previously had an outage on April 28, which was the catalyst for major delays at the travel hub. Newark airport said the ground stop was due to 'FAA equipment outages' and has since been lifted. During last month's outage, air traffic controllers in TRACON Area C lost communication with aircraft traveling to and from the airport, making them unable to see, hear or talk to them, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). It's not clear what caused the communication loss, or how long the air traffic controllers lost communication with the aircraft. The event led the air traffic controllers to take leave under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, which covers federal employees who are physically injured or experience traumatic events on the job, according to NATCA, a union that represents around 20,000 aviation professionals. Since the incident, delays and cancellations of flights traveling into and out of Newark airport have been constant. Airlines, including United, have had to cancel hundreds of flights, and dozens of others have been diverted to other airports. Many issues contributed to the disruptions, including understaffing, construction and several instances of technical equipment failure. In an exclusive interview with 'Meet the Press,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he is concerned about the whole of U.S. airspace after recent outages at Newark, adding that telecommunications issues and glitches in software are to blame. 'Now I think the lights are blinking, the sirens are turning, and they're saying, 'Listen, we have to fix this,'' he said. 'Because what you see in Newark is going to happen in other places across the country. It has to be fixed.' Duffy said he believes they'll have Newark airport 'up and running in short order.' Over 150 flights traveling to and from Newark were delayed, and more than 80 were canceled as of Sunday afternoon, according to This article was originally published on
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Live updates: Lawmakers talk Newark airport, mayor's arrest outside ICE detention center
Delays and cancellations upended operations at Newark Liberty International Airport this week, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said some air traffic controllers are taking time off following recent outages. On April 28, air traffic controllers briefly lost communication, for about 90 seconds, with planes at Newark Airport. The blackout and communication breakdown led to hundreds of flights being delayed or canceled. Three dozen flights were also diverted that day, said Aidan O'Donnell, the general manager of New Jersey airports, the New York Times reported. The situation worsened when air traffic controllers took absences under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, which allows federal workers who are injured or experience a trauma on the job to take time off. On Friday, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was detained after refusing to leave a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. Baraka, along with three members of the New Jersey congressional delegation — Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), Rob Menendez (D) and LaMonica McIver (D) — tried to get access to the Delaney Hall ICE detention center. 'Nothing happened for a long, long time, you know, for at least over an hour. And then, you know, after that, they finally told us to leave, and I told him I was leaving, they came outside the gate and arrested me,' Baraka said during his appearance on MSNBC's 'The Briefing' Friday night. 'So it looked like it was targeted.' He later added that ICE officials 'obviously targeted me.' Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, justified the administration's moves, claiming the mayor 'committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself' from the Delaney Hall ICE detention center. Several lawmakers are slated to appear on Sunday morning shows to discuss both situations. Read the full Sunday show lineup here and follow below for today's live updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
