A radar outage at Newark Liberty International Airport early Friday disrupted air traffic and renewed concerns over the nation’s aging air traffic control system. It’s the second radar incident at EWR in the last two weeks.
The failure occurred at 3:55 a.m., according to the FAA. Radar and communications briefly went offline, affecting controllers’ ability to manage flights. At least two dozen delays and cancellations followed, including a FedEx plane and a private jet from Cyprus.
The outage is the latest in a series of technical failures linked to the Philadelphia-based facility that manages Newark’s airspace. A similar disruption on April 28 caused widespread delays.
On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans to replace outdated systems with fiber, wireless, and satellite technology. The overhaul includes new radar hardware, updated software, six new control centers, and upgraded towers.
The goal is to finish the overhaul in four years at a cost of several billion dollars, which Duffy will seek from Congress.
Staffing shortages have added pressure. The Philadelphia center has 22 fully certified controllers and 21 in training. Some took medical leave after last week’s outage, citing stress.
President Donald Trump has backed the modernization plan, though implementation may face hurdles amid FAA leadership changes.
The FAA is expanding temporary measures, including ground delay programs and a new radar processing site in Philadelphia. No injuries were reported in Friday’s incident.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.