Topline
Outages are not just a Newark problem—in recent weeks, at least three other U.S. airports have reported communication breakdowns that left air traffic controllers unable to contact pilots.
The FAA’s air traffic controllers manage roughly 45,000 flights per day in the US.
Timeline
On Monday, a two-second air traffic control radio frequency outage-–the fourth communications breakdown in a month-–occurred at Newark Liberty International Airport, Reuters and CNN reported.
The FAA is investigating a power issue at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport that briefly delayed inbound flights, the agency confirmed online.
Air traffic controllers and pilots lost contact for at least 90 seconds at Denver International Airport when multiple radio transmitters failed and controllers switched to a backup frequency to relay instructions to pilots.
Flights into and out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport-–the nation’s busiest—were temporarily delayed due to what airport officials described as “an equipment outage at ATL’s air traffic control tower,” Atlanta’s NBC-affiliated news station reported. The FAA ordered a 45-minute ground stop following a brief telecommunications outage at the Philadelphia TRACON (terminal radar approach control) Area C facility, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Airport.
Air traffic controllers handling flights approaching and departing Newark Airport experienced a radar blackout for approximately 90 seconds, the FAA confirmed.
Controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON overseeing traffic at Newark Liberty International Airport lost radar communications with airplanes for 30 seconds.
A “current 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.
More than 40 reports of radar and radio glitches at dozens of air traffic control facilities have occurred since 2022, according to a CNN analysis published Wednesday.
Key Background
Wednesday’s CNN report reveals the equipment outages plaguing Newark Airport have been an ongoing issue for years. In recent weeks, air traffic controllers responsible for the nation’s airspace have experienced a string of equipment outages and other technological failures at airports around the country, including major hubs like Atlanta and Denver. Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted to NBC’s Kristen Welker, “What you see in Newark is going to happen in other places across the country.” Duffy has characterized the FAA’s existing equipment as safe, but old. “We have redundancies, multiple redundancies in place to keep you safe when you fly,” Duffy said. “But we should also recognize we’re seeing–we’re seeing stress on an old network, and it’s time to fix it.”
What Is The Faa’s Plan To Upgrade Its Outdated Technology?
On May 8, Duffy announced his agency would replace the United States’ aging air traffic control system with new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies while equipping 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 agency will roll out improvements in stages and prioritize facilities “based on needs,” Frank McIntosh, the FAA’s deputy chief operating officer for Air Traffic Organization, clarified at a recent Senate hearing on FAA reauthorization.
Tangent
The FAA’s decades-long shortage of air traffic controllers is an exacerbating issue. As of now, the agency is short 3,000 controllers. Since it takes three to four years to fully certify an air traffic controller, there is no quick fix. McIntosh said the FAA has 3,100 trainees in the pipeline and will “finally start getting traction this year where we outpace attrition, and then we’ll start seeing, over the next 18 to 24 months, where we actually see a positive gain in the controllers.”
Further Reading
Denver Airport Outage: Air Traffic Control Lost Contact With Up To 20 Pilots On Monday, Reports Say (Forbes)
Newark Airport Crisis: FAA Announces Upgrade Plan For Communication System (Forbes)
