Topline
An air-traffic control supervisor at the Philadelphia facility managing flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport blasted the FAA for management “akin to criminal negligence” after an equipment outage led to a temporary ground stop on Thursday that caused hundreds of delayed flights, highlighting a problem that has persisted for years without a resolution.
A view of Newark Liberty Airport on Thursday as ground stops issued were issued just before 11 a.m. due to an equipment issue. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Key Facts
“Given the totality of the risks involved and the gravity of the situation,” the FAA has “not responded adequately and any changes and procedures implemented are a farce at best” and “at worst, they are akin to criminal negligence,” Jonathan Stewart, an air traffic control supervisor in the Philadelphia facility that guides planes in and out of Newark Airport, told Forbes.
Stewart has been outspoken in his criticism, previously stating “I personally am not gonna fly out of Newark…Because I’m not satisfied with the level of safety.”
The FAA cancelled the ground stop “and is now slowing flights into Newark Liberty International Airport due to equipment issues that affected some radio frequencies in the Philadelphia TRACON area that handles Newark arrivals and departures,” an agency spokesperson wrote in an email to Forbes.
As of 4 p.m. EDT, flights arriving into Newark from more than two dozen airports were under a ground delay, with average delay times of roughly two and a half hours.
More than 200 flights—more than one third of those scheduled to arrive at Newark Airport on Thursday—were delayed, according to Flightaware.
Equipment outages have plagued Newark Airport for years, with air traffic controllers experiencing communication failures on multiple occasions—most notably on April 28, when air traffic controllers in Philadelphia’s terminal radar approach control tower (TRACON) lost radar communications with a United Airlines plane under their control for 30 seconds.
Key Background
The FAA’s aging technology has suffered equipment outages and communications failures at airports around the country for years, including at major hubs like Newark, Atlanta and Denver. In May, a “veteran controller” who wished not to be identified told NBC News that controllers guiding planes into Newark airport have lost radar contact with pilots “at least eight or nine times in recent months” and on at least two other occasions since August 2024. The same month, CNN reported that more than 40 reports of radar and radio glitches at dozens of air traffic control facilities have occurred since 2022.
What Will It Take For The Faa To Upgrade Its Outdated Technology?
More money than the agency currently has. In May, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced his agency would replace the United States’ aging air traffic control system—often described as a patchwork of ancient equipment that runs on floppy discs and paper clips—with new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies and equip controllers with new radar, radios and voice switches. Duffy said the rebuild would happen “in three to four years” if Congress allocates tens of billions of dollars. The FAA requested $22 billion to get started on the initiatives, noting that more funding would be required over the multi-year process. In June, Congress passed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which provided the FAA with $12.5 billion—about 57% of what the FAA requested—to begin modernizing its air traffic control (ATC) technology.
Further Reading
Newark Airport Crisis: FAA Announces Upgrade Plan For Communication System (Forbes)
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