Newark Airport Might See a Temporary Reduction in Flights

Newark Liberty International Airport is a key element of getting travelers to and from the New York metropolitan area. It’s a major hub for United Airlines and is capable of accommodating both modest regional jets and massive long-haul aircraft. And for the last few weeks, it’s been beset by technical outages that have caused significant delays and cancellations for numerous travelers. These issues beg the question: what’s next for the beleaguered airport?

According to the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the answer to that question may involve fewer flights in and out of Newark, at least temporarily. Citing comments made by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Meet the Press over the weekend, Business Insider‘s Rebecca Rommen and Kenneth Niemeyer report that Newark could see a reduction in the number of flights later this year.

“I want you to get where you’re traveling,” Duffy explained. “And if that means slowing down flights into Newark, we slow them down to make sure we can do it safely.” Duffy also said that this reduction could go into effect in the “next several weeks.”

In a press conference on Monday, Duffy and acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau provided more details about what those delays might look like. “DOT will convene a delay reduction meeting this Wednesday with all airlines who have flights at Newark,” Duffy explained, adding that the authority to do so had not been utilized in over two decades.

“If we reduce the number of flights at Newark, we’re not doing it to annoy people. We’re not doing it to delay people’s travel,” Duffy added. “What we’re doing is guaranteeing safety.”

“Travel into Newark today is safe, but we will continue to monitor that situation,” Rocheleau said.

Newark Airport’s Logistical Nightmares Aren’t Over

Another system outage led to more delayed flights

Duffy also gave an update on infrastructural changes taking place now, including the replacement of copper lines with fiber lines at Newark. Duffy said that there would be “another week or two to be testing those lines,” and that he hoped that the new connections would be in place by the end of May.

The press conference also had a surreal aspect, as Duffy repeatedly called on Congress to fund air traffic control system upgrades for the nation, stressing that this was a nonpartisan issue — while also taking multiple digs at the Biden administration, including Duffy’s predecessor Pete Buttigieg, over the course of the afternoon. As many experts have pointed out, the nation’s air traffic control system is in need of upgrades — but the status of those broader upgrades is still uncertain.