Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at Newark Liberty International Airport over the weekend and into Monday, as an air traffic control staffing crisis pushed one of America’s busiest airports to the brink — and insiders are now sounding the alarm in dire terms.
As of early Monday morning, 73 flights were canceled and 22 delayed. That followed a weekend of travel mayhem, with 141 cancellations and 436 delays reported on Sunday alone, according to FlightAware.
United Airlines, which uses Newark as its primary East Coast hub, slashed 35 roundtrip flights per day from its schedule, citing severe air traffic controller shortages. The airline’s CEO, Scott Kirby, said Newark has lost 20% of its controllers in recent weeks, bluntly stating that without immediate intervention, the airport “cannot handle the number of planes scheduled to operate.”
But the most jarring assessment came from within the tower itself. An air traffic controller reportedly told NBC News that the current conditions are flatly unsafe. “It is not a safe situation right now for the flying public,” he warned, adding, “Don’t fly into Newark. Avoid Newark at all costs.”
Runway construction has added to the chaos, but federal officials point squarely to chronic understaffing. The FAA has struggled for years to meet hiring targets, falling short by nearly 2,000 controllers as of late 2023. The situation worsened after President Trump’s inauguration, when 400 FAA employees were cut — though officials say air traffic control positions were spared.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, offering $5,000 hiring bonuses, admitted last week, “You’re starting to see cracks in the system.” With inbound planes waiting over two hours to land on Sunday, many fear those cracks are rapidly deepening into fissures.