Newark Airport Faces Major Disruption Due to Radar Outage

Politics

Newark Airport Faces Major Disruption Due to Radar Outage

6 months ago

News sources:

REUTERS

INDIATIMES

SCMP

Newark Airport Faces Major Disruption Due to Radar Outage

Credited from: SCMP

Newark Liberty International Airport experiences a 90-second radar outage.
The outage triggered significant flight delays and cancellations.
Transportation Secretary proposes a multi-billion-dollar upgrade for FAA infrastructure.

A radar system outage at the Federal Aviation Administration's Philadelphia facility led to major disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday. The outage, occurring around 3:55 AM, lasted approximately 90 seconds, impacting radar displays and communications that guide aircraft operations, according to Reuters and South China Morning Post.

This incident is the latest in a series of operational failures that have raised public concern and hindered air traffic at Newark. Following the radar outage, flight cancellations surged, with Newark experiencing the highest number of delays in the nation, reaching nearly 300 delays shortly after the incident. The FAA acknowledged that aging infrastructure, including outdated copper wiring for some radar signals, contributed to these problems, according to India Times and Reuters.

In response to the ongoing issues, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has proposed a multi-billion-dollar investment to enhance the national air traffic control system over the next several years. The FAA plans to increase staffing and implement new high-bandwidth telecommunications connections to prevent future outages, as highlighted by South China Morning Post and India Times.