By Will Stark
On April 28, the Newark Liberty International Airport’s air traffic control team, responsible for directing the approaching and departing planes landing at the airport, experienced a loss of radar functioning for about ninety seconds. Leaving the team essentially blind to incoming plane traffic, air traffic controllers were unable to direct flights safely. Pilots were diverted to other nearby airports, while others were told to “maintain visual separation” from other incoming and outgoing aircraft. Luckily, no crashes or near misses occured, but Newark International Airport was forced to cancel or divert dozens of flights.
This was not an isolated instance. In fact, in the past few weeks, the airport has experienced as many as four of these blackouts. The most severe thus far occurred on May 11, when equipment failure lasted for 45 minutes, grounding all airplanes. While these recent failures seem to be new occurrences, the reality is that the air traffic control system is outdated and unable to accommodate the amount of planes flying today.
Many airport workers are now coming forward with concerns about the United States’s capacity to handle the current load being placed on aviation related infrastructure. In fact, far beyond the recent problems at Newark International Airport, the flying and air traffic control systems have been neglected as other sectors have progressed and modernized. Most concerning is that these sectors are critical for airport safety.
Some experts believe that the root of these problems can be traced back to the Reagan administration, when he fired over 10,000 striking air traffic controllers, a greater number than are currently working. Fast forward to today, when the Trump administration set a precedent of dismantling key government programs via DOGE. However, a lack of government support is not the only problem.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has found over three quarters of the nation’s most essential airports are understaffed, with key positions filled less than the 85% minimum mandated by law. Currently, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association estimates just over 10,000 air traffic controllers currently working. However, this is far below the 14,300 recommended by the FAA. With only about 2,000 currently in training to become certified air traffic controllers and training taking up to two years, it is unlikely that this severe need for greater personnel will be resolved in the near future.
As well as lacking staff, the equipment available for air traffic controls and other airport staff is extremely outdated. A study by the FAA found that out of 138 systems used by air traffic control, a third of them are unsustainable or potentially so. Out of those systems, about half were critical for safety. Additionally, the technology needed for a functioning radar and radio system is decades old. Air traffic controllers have reported needing to use eBay or 3D printers to replace old parts that can’t be found anywhere else.
It’s clear that the air traffic control sector is vastly underfunded and understaffed. Most concerning is how vital this industry is to the safety of the almost three million Americans flying every day. Thankfully, a 12.5 billion dollar budget has recently been announced to upgrade and modernize the systems currently in place. It is imperative that these changes are implemented as soon as possible, alleviating the already burdened system.