On Monday, May 5, around 100 flights were cancelled and more than 50 delayed at Newark’s Liberty International Airport. There have been long-term problems which reached a breaking point on April 28 with shortages of air traffic controllers, outdated equipment, and construction repairs on one of the main runways. The condition of this major airport, through which some 48 million passengers travel each year, is indicative of problems throughout airports in the United States.
Over the May 2-3 weekend, about 20% of the air traffic controllers walked off the job in frustration over breakdowns of both radar and communications systems at the regional TRACON center in Philadelphia, which is responsible for managing the airspace around the Newark airport. Today the inbound flights averaged delays of 239 minutes and the outbound flights averaged a 45 minute delay.
