At one point, the FAA had targeted 77 total arrivals and departures at Newark each hour, but at the start of construction on April 15 they requested airlines cut that down to 70 total during the day and 62 during specific hours in the late afternoons and evenings.

Controllers handling aircraft headed into Newark Liberty International Airport lost radio frequencies for approximately 2 seconds, said the FAA

At a House Appropriations Committee meeting yesterday regarding the Department of Transportation’s fiscal budget for 2026, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) referenced Duffy’s comments. She suggested that Duffy “diverted [his] wife from Newark airport to LaGuardia out of a sense of security.”

Three days of meetings to discuss reducing the number of flights at Newark Liberty International Airport concluded Friday in the wake of critical air traffic control problems around the metro New York hub and other US airports.

A staffing shortage, runway construction and deferred maintenance to crucial air traffic technology have made Newark Airport a national laughingstock.