The Newark airport crisis is about to become everyone's problem

Summary

There are too many planes in the sky. In 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supervised nearly 16.8 million flights in American airspace — half a million more than the year prior. To manage all of those airplanes, however, the FAA uses an air traffic control system designed in the early 1990s — when features like trackballs and color monitors were new, and air traffic controllers handled less than half as many flights every year. Like many government agencies, the FAA has faced chronic budget constraints and poor oversight in the ensuing two decades. Not only is its system functionally obsolete; it’s also badly understaffed. Too often, the agency must scramble to find the least-bad solution for its mounting problems — and not all of these solutions are good or even safe.One such scenario has been unfolding at Newark Liberty International Airport for the last year. And it hasn’t just created delays and cancellations — it has put people’s safety at risk.A screen displaying flight status is seen at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey on May 7, 2025. AFP via Getty ImagesNewark airport became national news starting on Monday, April 28th. Around 1:27PM, pilots abruptly lost contact with the controllers that oversee the airport’s approach and departure airspace, known as Newark Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON). “Can you hear us?” asked one United pilot. After a beat of silence, another pilot keyed the radio. “Hey Approach, are you there?” A third chimed in, his call sign more of a question. “Austrian eight-niner?”Several more seconds passed before Newark TRACON came back on the air.“United 1951, how do you hear me?”“Loud and clear now,” the first pilot replied.“Hey Approach, are you there?”For the moment, normal operations resumed — though controllers were worried about the possibility of another outage. “Upjet 905, join the final approach course,” said one controller, then prudently added, “if you don’t hear me, you can continue ...