Newark, May 6 - Air traffic controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport experienced a brief but significant disruption when they lost contact with aircraft for approximately 30 seconds on April 28, 2025, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The incident, which occurred at one of the nation’s busiest aviation hubs, highlighted vulnerabilities in the aging U.S. air traffic control system and triggered widespread flight disruptions that persisted for days. Duffy, speaking on Fox News, explained that the primary communication line failed, and the backup system did not activate, resulting in a temporary loss of radar and radio contact with planes under the controllers’ supervision. While he emphasized that the brief outage did not pose an immediate risk of collisions due to onboard communication devices, the event underscored the fragility of the current infrastructure and prompted calls for urgent reforms.
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The loss of communication occurred at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), which manages aircraft arriving at and departing from Newark. Controllers were unable to see, hear, or communicate with planes, creating a high-stress situation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later confirmed that the outage was caused by a telecommunications equipment failure, with some sources citing a burnt wire as the culprit. Although Duffy reported the disruption lasted 30 seconds, other reports, including one from Bloomberg, suggested it may have extended to nearly 90 seconds, during which air traffic control screens went dark. This discrepancy has not been fully clarified, but the impact was immediate and severe. The FAA halted all departures to Newark, and for two hours that afternoon, no flights landed or took off, leading to hundreds of delays, dozens of diversions, and over 150 cancellations on April 28 alone, according to FlightAware.
The incident’s aftermath exacerbated existing challenges at Newark, where staffing shortages, runway construction, and outdated technology have strained operations. Several controllers, shaken by the event, took leave under the Federal Employees Compensation Act, which allows federal workers to recover from traumatic workplace incidents. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association clarified that these absences were not a “walkout,” as claimed by United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, but a response to the intense stress of losing contact with aircraft. United, the primary carrier at Newark, announced it would cut 35 daily flights—about 10% of its schedule—to ease congestion and prevent further disruptions. The FAA acknowledged that replacing controllers is challenging due to the specialized nature of the role and ongoing national shortages, with approximately 3,000 vacant positions nationwide. Newark’s air traffic control operations were relocated to Philadelphia in 2024 to address staffing issues and manage the congested New York airspace more effectively. However, the move has not fully resolved the challenges, as the region remains one of the most complex in the U.S. The FAA admitted that its “antiquated” system is affecting its workforce and is working to improve telecommunications reliability.
Secretary Duffy, who visited the Philadelphia facility days after the incident, announced plans to seek billions in congressional funding to overhaul the air traffic control system, including new radar, telecom, and infrastructure. He stressed that while the system remains safe, with protocols to slow or ground flights during capacity constraints, the April 28 outage was a wake-up call. The proposed reforms, expected to take years to implement, aim to modernize a system struggling to handle current traffic volumes, particularly as summer travel demand rises. The disruptions at Newark, compounded by bad weather and construction, have affected thousands of passengers, with delays averaging four hours on May 5. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees Newark, urged the FAA to address staffing and technology issues to prevent further chaos in the nation’s busiest air corridor. As the industry grapples with these challenges, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for robust, resilient aviation infrastructure to ensure the safety and efficiency of air travel.