Newark, air traffic controller
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The Biden administration is to blame for the ongoing air traffic control failures at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, and throughout the system, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday.
The incident follows recent radar outages at New Jersey’s Newark Airport due to the FAA’s antiquated infrastructure, adding to safety concerns about flying in U.S. airspace.
“I equate a good, A-level, traffic controller that can handle a place like Newark, JFK, LAX, San Francisco, to a three dimensional chess player who can juggle a chainsaw, an axe, a sword, a razor blade with his eyes closed,” Aero Consulting Experts CEO and a former United pilot Ross Aimer told Fortune.
Several times over the last year, Newark controllers lost radar or radio service, leaving them unable to talk with planes they were tracking.
Nearly 80 flights have been cancelled and more than 40 delayed at Newark Liberty International Airport after yet another an equipment outage brought more chaos to the NYC-area hub.
1don MSN
Similar to last summer, there is currently a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, which will “take time” to replenish, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The United States aviation industry continues to grapple with the worst air traffic controller shortage in nearly 30 years as a recent spate of incidents has thrust the high-stress profession into the spotlight.