A major staffing shortage at an FAA facility responsible for guiding planes to and from Newark Liberty International Airport caused massive flight delays on Monday, with some flights delayed by up to seven hours.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), only three air traffic controllers were scheduled during key hours on Monday evening at the Philadelphia air traffic facility that oversees Newark operations. This is far below the FAA’s target of 14 controllers for those hours.
Despite the FAA stating it maintained at least three controllers on duty each hour, insiders told The New York Times that only one or two fully certified controllers were handling critical operations at times.
The shortage prompted the FAA to hold back incoming flights from departure, severely affecting air traffic throughout the day. Delays mainly impacted flights from the contiguous U.S. and parts of Canada, with average wait times exceeding 100 minutes, and some as long as nearly seven hours, per FAA advisories.
This disruption highlights ongoing challenges in the U.S. aviation system, especially related to controller staffing shortfalls, which have contributed to frequent flight delays and travel frustration nationwide.
