The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Wednesday that it's taking "immediate steps" to address the issues that have disrupted operations at Newark Liberty International Airport in recent days.
In a thread on X, the FAA said it is "accelerating technological and logistical improvements and increasing air traffic controller staffing."
The agency has slowed arrivals and departures at Newark, citing runway construction and staffing and technology issues at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control center (TRACON), which guides aircraft in and out of Newark.
Radar data for Newark is processed by the New York-based FAA Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS). The data is then transmitted from New York to the Philadelphia TRACON via telecommunications lines. Many of the steps the FAA announced focused on improving the connection between the two cities.
According to the thread, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau are working to add "three new, high-bandwidth telecommunications connections between the New York-based STARS and the Philadelphia TRACON" to improve "speed, reliability and redundancy," as well as replacing the older copper telecommunications connections "with updated fiberoptic technology" for "greater bandwidth and speed."
A temporary backup system will be deployed to the Philadelphia TRACON, the agency said, to "provide redundancy" as the network is switched over to fiberoptic connections.
Additionally, a STARS hub will be set up at the Philadelphia TRACON so the facility "does not depend on a telecommunications feed from the New York STARS hub."
The FAA actions come after Newark's air traffic controller screens blacked out for 30 seconds last week and communications between the controllers and planes landing at the airport were severed.
As a result of the incident, multiple air traffic controllers are out on leave for trauma they endured, according to their union, causing significant delays for travelers at the airport.
The FAA also said Wednesday that it would work to increase controller staffing levels. The section of the Philadelphia TRACON that handles Newark traffic "has 22 fully certified controllers and 21 controllers and supervisors in training."
"Ten of those 21 controllers and supervisors are receiving on-the-job training," it said. "All 10 are certified on at least one position and two are certified on multiple positions."
The agency added that it has "a healthy pipeline with training classes filled through July 2026."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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