Latest news with #airtraffic
CTV News
2 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Runway reopened, Vancouver airport fully operational after day of delays
An Air Canada flight departing for Toronto, bottom, taxis to a runway as a WestJet flight bound for Palm Springs takes off at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on March 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Air traffic is running as normal at Vancouver International Airport after delays and cancellations hindered travellers Friday. More than 20 flights were cancelled throughout the day after crews were forced to keep one of the runways closed overnight Thursday. The closure had been the result of an 'unforeseen equipment issue' with an asphalt supplier, a YVR spokesperson told CTV News Friday afternoon. On Friday, Nav Canada said a temporary Traffic Management Initiative had been put in place to 'maintain a safe flow of traffic.' As of 7 a.m. Saturday, the north runway had reopened and was operating 'per standard procedures,' YVR said in an update.
CNN
19 hours ago
- Business
- CNN
Newark airport's closed runway, which contributed to weeks of delays, will reopen ahead of schedule
A key runway at Newark Liberty International Airport, which has been under construction for months causing significant delays and cancellations, will reopen on Monday. The 11,000-foot-long runway 4L-22R is reopening 13 days ahead of schedule and will allow 'regular runway operations to resume,' according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey which operates the airport. The $121 million project began in early March and was scheduled to be completed June 15. The runway was last rehabilitated in 2014 and showed 'significant signs of wear.' Construction was accelerated after staffing and operational challenges 'impacted air traffic controllers' ability to effectively use the remaining two operational runways' at the airport, according to the port authority. 'As we approach the busy summer travel season, this key milestone puts us on a path to further reducing congestion, enhancing safety, and ensuring a seamless travel experience,' Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in a news release. 'With the runway completed, we'll continue our work to harden the telecoms infrastructure and improving the staffing pipeline for the airspace.' The runway was one of the reasons passengers flying in and out of Newark airport experienced major disruptions in April and May, but it was not the only reason. Controllers attempting to guide pilots to and from the airport experienced at least four black outs since April 28 due to the aging Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control system. On May 20, the FAA ordered airlines to cut flights at Newark by about 25%, to 56 an hour, until construction was completed, at which point they plan to increase flights to 68 an hour. The construction project involves paving the runway surface, updating lighting, improving airfield signs, installing underground electrical infrastructure, and improving drainage. The runway will still close for construction on weeknights through the end of the year and weekends, September to December, to complete the project entirely.
CNN
a day ago
- Business
- CNN
Newark airport's closed runway, which contributed to weeks of delays, will reopen ahead of schedule
A key runway at Newark Liberty International Airport, which has been under construction for months causing significant delays and cancellations, will reopen on Monday. The 11,000-foot-long runway 4L-22R is reopening 13 days ahead of schedule and will allow 'regular runway operations to resume,' according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey which operates the airport. The $121 million project began in early March and was scheduled to be completed June 15. The runway was last rehabilitated in 2014 and showed 'significant signs of wear.' Construction was accelerated after staffing and operational challenges 'impacted air traffic controllers' ability to effectively use the remaining two operational runways' at the airport, according to the port authority. 'As we approach the busy summer travel season, this key milestone puts us on a path to further reducing congestion, enhancing safety, and ensuring a seamless travel experience,' Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in a news release. 'With the runway completed, we'll continue our work to harden the telecoms infrastructure and improving the staffing pipeline for the airspace.' The runway was one of the reasons passengers flying in and out of Newark airport experienced major disruptions in April and May, but it was not the only reason. Controllers attempting to guide pilots to and from the airport experienced at least four black outs since April 28 due to the aging Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control system. On May 20, the FAA ordered airlines to cut flights at Newark by about 25%, to 56 an hour, until construction was completed, at which point they plan to increase flights to 68 an hour. The construction project involves paving the runway surface, updating lighting, improving airfield signs, installing underground electrical infrastructure, and improving drainage. The runway will still close for construction on weeknights through the end of the year and weekends, September to December, to complete the project entirely.
Forbes
a day ago
- Climate
- Forbes
Southern Thunderstorms Cause Over 3,100 U.S. Flight Delays Today
Airports in Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando and Dallas were the main trouble spots Friday afternoon as thunderstorms, from Texas to Florida and Georgia, snarled air traffic and caused thousands of flight delays. Thunderstorms across the South and Southeast disrupted thousands of flights Friday. As of 2:40 p.m. EDT Friday, over 3,100 flights were delayed in and out of U.S. airports, according to FlightAware. U.S. airports with triple-digit delayed departures by early afternoon Friday included Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, Charlotte Douglas, Orlando and Dallas-Fort Worth. Delays impacted more than 21% of flights departing Charlotte and 26% of flights departing Orlando. The FAA issued a ground stop at Atlanta for roughly 90 minutes this afternoon. Boston Logan was under a ground delay for more than four hours due to runway construction. Early afternoon Friday, the FAA's National Airspace System dashboard listed 'possible' ground stops or delays at 18 airports and 'probable' ground stops or delays for five airports, including Reagan National in Washington, D.C.—signaling potentially increasing snarls throughout the afternoon and into evening. The National Weather Service forecast for Friday includes scattered thunderstorms across the Deep South before pushing off the Gulf Coast. From the Mid-Atlantic southward into the Southeast, 'lines of thunderstorms' could bring severe weather on Friday afternoon and into night. Meanwhile, expect moderate to heavy rain with 'increasingly gusty wind' across the Ohio Valley and into the northern Mid-Atlantic by tonight. 45,000. That's how many flights the FAA manages in U.S. airspace every day, on average. Friday's 3,100 flight delays represent roughly 7% of all flights for the day. The number of scheduled flights this summer are up 4% compared to last year, according to the FAA. On some days over the coming summer, the FAA will oversee nearly 50,000 flights. Summer heat and storms in one region of the country can quickly turn into a national air travel problem. The FAA often slows traffic flow at impacted airports with temporary ground delays and, sometimes, ground stops. That often causes a domino effect, as planes scheduled to fly out of impacted airports later in the day get further delayed. On bad-weather days, flight delays tend to peak in late afternoon and early evening. Over 4,500 Flights Delayed Tuesday Due To Fog In Denver, Storms In Southeast (Forbes)
Fox News
a day ago
- Business
- Fox News
Sec. Duffy tells 'Fox & Friends' that closed Newark airport runway could reopen within a week
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News' Steve Doocy on Friday that Newark Liberty International Airport's closed runway could reopen in less than two weeks — a move that he hopes will ease the ongoing delays caused by its closure. Duffy said Newark's closed runway will be reopened "very quickly" and that the runway could be ready "maybe in the next week." After being asked what is being done to alleviate the delays and cancellations facing airports across the country, Duffy gave a rundown of what he thinks are the major issues causing these delays. "So listen — what's happening is we have weather — it happens at this time of year, number one. Number two, we have a limited amount of controllers with 3,000 short nationally. And then, specifically in Newark, we have our runway that's been shut down. It's gonna open up very quickly," he told Doocy. "The Port Authority has crushed it on speed." Duffy continued by noting that while it can be frustrating for air travelers to have their flights delayed or canceled, stating that the Department of Transportation's (DOT) top priority remains ensuring passenger safety. "Whether it's weather, we might have some shortages of air traffic controllers. You know that we had telecom issues in Philadelphia, or in Newark, out of the Philly TRACON. So those factors all come into play. And the key is your safety," Duffy said. "A lot of the questions that come though — is it safe to fly? And of course it is. We have so many redundancies in place, but we have to fix the system." The transportation secretary then dove into the details of how he predicts departures out of Newark Airport will improve after the runway and other improvements are complete. "So 28 departures an hour. It used to be 50-54," he claimed. "So when the runway opens, we'll get to 34." Another issue plaguing Newark Airport, according to Duffy, is the fact that new air traffic controllers from other airspaces can't simply be brought in to alleviate the shortage; they must first be trained on Newark's airspace. Duffy said there are currently 16 air traffic controllers in training at Newark, and that it typically takes six months to a year to become certified in a new airspace. "Again, I can't just snap my fingers and fix the problems that Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden left for me," he said. After being asked by Doocy about another issue facing the air traffic controller industry – the large numbers of controllers retiring – Duffy laid out his plan for incentivizing retirement-age controllers to stay on the job. "Air traffic controllers can retire after 25 years of service. I've offered them a 20% upfront bonus to stay on after their eligible date of retirement," he said. "This is a government job where you are paid very well. So to give them that bonus, I think it matters." Duffy said his goal is to keep experienced controllers while also expanding the pipeline to get more young people into the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Academy and working in the industry.
