Newark Airport Safety Concerns Rise Amid Repeated Outages

A series of disruptions has caused rising concerns at Newark International about flight safety, air traffic control staffing shortages, and other issues. There has been massive pressure put on the FAA to keep customers safe while also keeping air travel as a reliable method of transportation. 

The summer travel season highlights this even further. There are many issues that are referred to as a “ticking time bomb” that will need to be fixed to restore faith in air travel. The FAA will work hard to address these and keep planes traveling smoothly. 

A String of Disruptions in Newark’s Skies

In the span of just over a month, Newark Airport has faced multiple high-profile incidents linked to air traffic communication breakdowns. Most notably, on April 1 and again on May 3, the airport’s control tower experienced radio outages that temporarily halted all departures and arrivals.

As a result, ATC resorted to using cell phones and backup systems for communication with planes in the sky. As one of America’s busiest airports, this was a unique workaround to a problem that could result in disaster if handled poorly.