Newark, New Jersey — Air traffic controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport sounded alarm bells over critical safety issues linked to telecommunications failures and airspace coordination for months prior to the chaos of widespread flight delays and cancellations that struck the airport this past week. A review of various safety reports and audio recordings reveals a troubling picture of a system under strain.
In a previously undisclosed account from August, one controller warned that only sheer luck had averted a “catastrophic mid-air collision” following a breakdown in communications while multiple aircraft were diverted into the same airspace to navigate around thunderstorms. These incidents highlight a series of radar and radio service outages that left controllers unable to communicate with the planes they were monitoring. “We just lost all frequencies and communications here,” one controller radioed to pilots, voicing the frustrations shared by many during the past year.
The situation reportedly reached a critical point last week when controllers lost radar and radio communications for approximately 90 seconds. This incident prompted several staff members to take trauma leave, contributing to a staffing crisis that severely impacted Newark’s operations. Experts have indicated that officials failed to heed the warnings raised about the risks associated with the intricate air traffic control systems that manage one of the nation’s busiest airspaces.
An experienced Newark controller expressed disbelief over the current state of affairs, stating, “We’re playing Russian roulette.” Historically, flight monitoring for the New York City region has been centralized among three major airports—JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark—operated from a facility on Long Island. However, staffing shortages led the Federal Aviation Administration to relocate about 24 of Newark’s controllers to a new site in Philadelphia last summer, a decision met with opposition from many within the air traffic control community.
Within weeks of this move, at least six controllers reported significant safety concerns related to inadequate communication between the Long Island and Philadelphia locations, which are nearly 100 miles apart. Their accounts, submitted to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System, painted a dire picture of operational challenges stemming from the split, particularly in busy airspace.
An August report from a controller with over a decade of experience detailed a near-miss scenario in which controllers from both locations mistakenly rerouted aircraft into a shared and congested airspace. “The fact that there was no catastrophic mid-air collision is nothing short of luck,” the report read, urging a return to the previous operational structure to enhance safety measures.
Another report reflected frustrations surrounding inadequate training regarding the controller relocation, noting that essential briefings were sparse. One experienced controller lamented, “I am absolutely dumbfounded. The FAA should be utterly ashamed of themselves for failing to properly brief controllers about this change.”
Pilots have echoed these concerns, with one describing an aborted landing at Newark that involved increased workload and potential for errors attributed to the communication gap caused by the relocation.
Timothy Johnson, a former air traffic controller and current aviation professor, asserted that the reports should have served as warning signals, emphasizing the importance of controllers working in close proximity for effective communication and issue resolution.
Despite the criticisms, the FAA recently indicated it was taking steps to stabilize operations at Newark by increasing staffing and updating technology at the Philadelphia facility. However, ongoing issues with communication outages were evident, as controllers reported multiple failures to receive data from Long Island after the relocation. Alerts indicated these problems led to delays and operational suspensions.
One particularly alarming incident took place in early November when Newark controllers lost radio contact for over two minutes, with pilots expressing confusion over the lack of communication from air traffic control. The chaos compounded when a FedEx plane veered off course into LaGuardia’s airspace.
In response to the mounting pressure, the FAA has announced plans to enhance telecommunications infrastructure and aims to retrofit existing equipment with modern technology. Meanwhile, professionals in aviation stress that these problems highlight structural vulnerabilities requiring immediate attention.
Controller responses have illustrated the deep-seated fears about safety within the air traffic control realm. Many have voiced concerns that if the FAA had acknowledged their earlier warnings, the recent crises might have been averted. “At the end of the day, I just want equipment that works. I don’t want to kill people. That’s my biggest fear,” said a controller on duty during the recent outages.
As the aviation community grapples with these recurring issues, there are calls for a re-examination of operational structures that prioritize safety above all else, ensuring that the integrity of air travel remains intact for both controllers and the flying public.