The FAA has been slowing arrivals and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport due to runway construction at Newark and staffing and technology issues at Philadelphia TRACON, which guides aircraft in and out of the airport. You can find real-time flight delay information at fly.faa.gov.

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Statement
There was a telecommunications issue at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace. The FAA briefly slowed aircraft in and out of the airport while we ensured redundancies were working as designed. Operations have returned to normal, get real-time updates at fly.faa.gov.

Friday, May 9, 2025

Statement
Transportation Secretary Duffy and acting FAA Administrator Rocheleau directed the FAA to submit notice to the Federal Register announcing a delay reduction meeting for Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The meeting will take place Wednesday, May 14, at 9 a.m. at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Statement
There was a telecommunications outage that impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace.  The outage occurred around 3:55 a.m. on Friday, May 9, and lasted approximately 90 seconds.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Statement
The FAA has been slowing arrivals and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport due to runway construction at Newark and staffing and technology issues at Philadelphia TRACON, which guides aircraft in and out of the airport.  
 
What we’re doing: The FAA is taking immediate steps to improve the reliability of operations at Newark Liberty International Airport. This includes accelerating technological and logistical improvements and increasing air traffic controller staffing. 
 
Background: The FAA system – called STARS - that processes radar data for Newark is based in New York. Telecommunications lines feed this data from New York to the Philadelphia TRACON, where controllers handle Newark arrivals and departures. 
 
Secretary Duffy and Acting Administrator Rocheleau are taking the following actions:

• Adding three new, high-bandwidth telecommunications connections between the New York-based STARS and the Philadelphia TRACON. This will provide more speed, reliability and redundancy. 
• Replacing copper telecommunications connections with updated fiberoptic technology that also have greater bandwidth and speed. 
• Deploying a temporary backup system to the Philadelphia TRACON that will provide redundancy during the switch to a more reliable fiberoptic network. 
• Establishing a STARS hub at the Philadelphia TRACON so that the facility does not depend on a telecommunications feed from the New York STARS hub. 
• Increasing controller staffing. The area in the Philadelphia TRACON that handles Newark traffic has 22 fully certified controllers and 21 controllers and supervisors in training. Ten of those 21 controllers and supervisors are receiving on-the-job training. All 10 are certified on at least one position and two are certified on multiple positions. We have a healthy pipeline with training classes filled through July 2026.  

When staffing or equipment issues occur, the FAA will ensure safety by slowing the rate of arrivals into the airport. We will continue to provide updates to the public as we work through these issues. The public can access real time information about the status of Newark and every airport at fly.faa.gov. 

Monday, May 5, 2025

Statement
Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce. As Secretary Duffy has said, we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible. We are working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers. In addition, we are updating our automation system to improve resiliency.

Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers. Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages. While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace. 
When staffing or equipment issues occur, the FAA will ensure safety by slowing the rate of arrivals into the airport. We will keep the public updated as we work through these issues. The FAA will continue to be transparent with the public about the status of Newark and every airport at fly.faa.gov.

Monday, April 28, 2025

Statement
The FAA is slowing arrivals and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) after telecommunications and equipment issues at Philadelphia TRACON, which guides aircraft in and out of EWR.  Both have been resolved but now there are staffing issues at Philadelphia TRACON. For the latest airport updates, visit our National Airspace System Status website.