Rep. Gottheimer: FAA needs to address spike in delays, cancellations at Newark Liberty Int’l Airport
Cancellations and delays impacted thousands of travelers last month. On just one day in June, nearly 30% of flights were canceled and another 30% were delayed at Newark Liberty.
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A congressman from New Jersey is calling for action to address the recent spike in delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer says his message to the Federal Aviation Administration is clear – they need sufficient plans in place when dealing with the realities of extreme weather and staffing shortages.
Cancellations and delays impacted thousands of travelers last month. On just one day in June, nearly 30% of flights were canceled and another 30% were delayed at Newark Liberty. A good chunk of those delays was due to extreme weather conditions, but News 12 New Jersey has also learned that a report found last month that the FAA had not taken adequate steps to address shortages of air traffic controllers.
“The air traffic controllers union found too few employees were available, causing delays this summer,” Gottheimer said.
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Delays and cancellations last summer were caused by aviation issues and issues with the National Aviation System – including air traffic control problems. Fewer than 1% had to do with the weather last summer.
The congressman says he has some questions for the FAA, mainly how it is approaching delays and cancellations, what factors does it blame for the delays and what is the plan to fix the issues. He also wants to know how it is preparing for weather-driven issues.
Gottheimer says there's no specific timeline as to when these issues could be addressed, but he does hope by starting this conversation that some of these issues can be alleviated over time. He says legislation that was passed on Thursday will help speed it along.
