US EditionWSJ: Veteran air-traffic controller speaks out about staffing and tech problems amid blackouts and delays at Newark airport
- Veteran air-traffic controller Jonathan Stewart spoke out in May 2025 about staffing shortages and tech outages at the Newark TRACON facility handling Newark Airport traffic.
- The April 28 and May 9 blackouts, including 90-second radar and 30-second radio losses, occurred amid chronic understaffing with just 24 of 38 controller positions filled.
- Stewart averted a potential nose-to-nose mid-air collision at the same altitude on May 4, after which multiple controllers took trauma leave due to stress from recent outages.
- Stewart compared the job to managing a complex puzzle at extremely high speeds and cautioned that everyone has limits, emphasizing the serious safety concerns for 400 individuals involved.
- Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau announced the formation of a special task force to ensure safe airport operations, and the agency intends to boost staffing levels at the Philadelphia facility, supported by a robust training program amid the current near three-decade low in air traffic controllers.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Anonymous confessions of an air traffic controller: Why travelers should ‘avoid Newark like the plague’
Chaos continues to reign at Newark Liberty International Airport, where, in the last few weeks, there have been hundreds of flight cancellations, diversions, and delays, a handful of ground stoppages, and life-threatening technical glitches. Exhausted and over-extended air traffic controllers say they are working six days a week, 10 hours at a time, to ensure the skies above Newark and the Big Apple remain friendly. The Post’s Chris Harris spoke…
WSJ: Veteran air-traffic controller speaks out about staffing and tech problems amid blackouts and delays at Newark airport
A veteran air-traffic controller at the facility that handles flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport is calling for more resources and speaking out about the intense pressures workers face amid a staffing shortage and tech outages.
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