Close to 80 flights were scrapped and over 40 others delayed at Newark Liberty International Airport today after another technical failure struck the airport’s operations, adding to recent disruption at the busy tri-state area travel center.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a ground stop lasting 45 minutes in the morning hours, according to information provided to WABC by officials. The disruption was linked to a problem at the air traffic control center serving Newark.
This latest mishap followed a separate radar issue on Friday that also forced a temporary shutdown of operations at the airport.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that flight volume at Newark would be scaled back for “the next several weeks,” citing ongoing issues stemming from a critical shortage of air traffic personnel.
“We want to have a number of flights that if you book your flight, you know it’s going to fly, right?” he said.
Duffy mentioned that a summit is scheduled for this week involving all airlines that operate from Newark Liberty to finalize how many flights will be trimmed from the schedule.
United Airlines accounts for three-quarters of all traffic passing through the airport, making it the primary carrier affected by the changes.
{Matzav.com}