FAA extends flight limits at Newark airport through 2025

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will continue to cap the number of flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport through the end of the year to ensure safety and limit travel disruptions. 

Starting Monday, arrivals and departures will be limited to 28 each per hour during airport construction on weekends between September through Dec. 31, 2025. During the rest of the time, arrivals and departures will not exceed 34 each per hour through Oct. 25, according to the FAA. 

The continued reduction in arrival and departure flights through December “will maintain safety while alleviating excessive flight delays at the airport due to staffing and equipment challenges,” the FAA said in a Friday notice. 

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The FAA began limiting traffic at Newark, the second-busiest airport in the New York metropolitan area, in May. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Newark’s ongoing construction at the field temporarily reduced operations to only one of two parallel runways. While that project was completed last week, 14 days ahead of schedule, the newly finished runway is currently open only for departures. The FAA said flight crews need to verify that the runway’s navigational aids are tested, calibrated and safe to use for arrivals, which is why flight limits remain in place.

The FAA began limiting traffic at Newark, the second-busiest airport in the New York metropolitan area, in May, following weeks of serious disruptions from equipment outages, air traffic control staffing shortages and ongoing runway construction.

The outages, which prompted scores of travel delays, highlighted the immense pressure the air traffic control system has been under for years due to persisting staffing shortages, outdated technology and underinvestment in critical infrastructure.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy began working to improve the reliability of operations at the airport, including accelerating technological and logistical improvements and increasing air traffic controller staffing.  

The air traffic control equipment outages prompted scores of travel delays at Newark Liberty International Airport. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP  / Getty Images)

For Newark in particular, the government agency said it is also adding three new, high-bandwidth telecommunications connections between the New York-based hubs and the Philadelphia TRACON, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark, to boost speed, reliability and redundancy.   

The FAA said it is temporarily deploying a backup system to the Philadelphia TRACON that will provide redundancy during the switch to a more reliable fiberoptic network.  The government is planning on replacing copper telecommunications connections with updated fiberoptic technology and 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.   

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STARS is an FAA system that processes radar data for Newark and is based in New York. Telecommunications lines feed this data from New York to the Philadelphia TRACON, where controllers handle Newark arrivals and departures. 

It is also seeking to increase controller staffing. Duffy’s plan to alleviate the shortage of air traffic workers includes offering retirees a bonus to incentivize them to stay in the workforce longer. 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is working to improve the reliability of operations at Newark Liberty International Airport. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg  / Getty Images)

In May, the FAA said it was installing more Tower Simulation Systems across the nation so it could certify air traffic controllers faster while reducing costs. These systems allow controllers to train for complex airport configurations, develop scenarios that address safety trends, practice runway crossing coordination and rehearse phraseology, according to the FAA.