The Brief
- The FAA implemented a ground stop at Newark Liberty International Airport on Wednesday evening due to ongoing staffing shortages, holding all inbound flights at their origin.
- Newark airport has been limited to 28 arrivals and departures per hour due to construction and staffing issues, with plans to increase this to 34 once runway testing is completed and the runway is certified by June 10.
- The airport has faced cancellations and delays due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, exacerbated by technical problems at a Philadelphia facility, resulting in several controllers taking trauma leave.
NEW YORK – The FAA issued a ground stop on all flights at Newark Liberty International Airport Wednesday evening as New York City’s second-busiest airport continues to struggle with staffing shortages.
As of 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, all inbound flights were being held at their origin, according to Flight Aware.
Newark plagued with problems
The backstory:
The FAA limited Newark airport to 28 arrivals and departures per hour due to construction and staff shortages, but plans to increase this to 34 once runway work is completed.
The $121 million construction project finished 13 days early, aiming to alleviate airport issues, The runway began to be used for departures Monday but won’t be available for arrivals until after that testing is completed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that if all goes well, the runway should be certified by June 10.…