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Newark Liberty International Airport experienced significant inbound delays on Tuesday, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) citing staffing issues as the cause. The delays, which affected up to 60% of all inbound flights, are expected to continue into Wednesday afternoon.
On Tuesday, the FAA issued a ground delay at Newark Airport due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. According to the FAA's website, flights departing to Newark Airport experienced an average delay of 95 minutes, with some delays reaching up to 165 minutes. The longest delay recorded was two hours and 46 minutes.
Flight tracking website FlightAware reported that as of 7 p.m. on Tuesday, there were 225 total delays at the airport, and five flights had been cancelled. The ground delay was lifted by midnight, but the FAA has warned that similar delays could occur on Wednesday afternoon due to the ongoing staffing issues.
NorthJersey.com reported that United Airlines, which operates a major hub at Newark, said the staffing shortages had caused "significant disruption" for travelers. The airline stated that the FAA had been forced to reduce traffic flows to its Newark hub on 12 of the first 25 days of November, disrupting more than 343,000 United travelers.
The FAA acknowledged the staffing issues, stating that it is addressing a "decades-long issue of staffing" in the Newark airspace and has been transparent with airlines and travelers about its plan. The disruptions come during one of the busiest holiday travel seasons on record, with the American Automobile Association projecting that about 80 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more to their destination during the Thanksgiving holiday period.