Air Traffic Controllers Take Leave Over 'Traumatic' Conditions At Newark Airport

Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey descended into chaos this week as passengers faced hours-long delays, canceled flights, and scary reports of air traffic controllers dealing with "traumatic" conditions.

Just what's going on in Newark? In addition to one of the airport's three runways currently being closed, there have been equipment issues due to old technology and fewer air traffic controllers, as well as some seriously terrifying news of air traffic controllers losing communication with pilots for 90 seconds.

As someone who is planning to fly into Newark Airport on Friday morning, this news couldn't be more distressing, and I know I'm not alone. So let's deep dive into this situation together.

Many have been talking about Newark Airport this past week and not for anything good.

Flight delays and cancelations are not out of the norm, especially for one of the largest international airports in the U.S., but what's been happening this past week has been more than most can handle. More than 440 flights were either canceled or delayed on Monday, and 600 on Sunday, according to FlightAware.

According to CBS New York, there were more than 50 flights out of Newark delayed and about 100 cancellations by 7 a.m. ET today, Tuesday.

Last week, there were staffing issues at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, the center that guides planes into Newark's airport, which caused flight delays and a ground stop.

On Monday, it was reported that air traffic controllers, "temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control" and that they were "unable to see, hear, or talk to them." This was "traumatic" for air traffic controllers, and some took a leave of absence because of the stressful experience.

A few air traffic controllers requested trauma leave after the scary incident occurred, which will allow them to be off for up to 45 days.

"The controllers did not 'walk off the job' as it has been reported by the media," the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement, according to CBS New York. "Due to the event, the controllers took absence under the Federal Employees Compensation Act. This program covers all federal employees that are physically injured or experience a traumatic event on the job."

The FAA recently issued a statement on the situation at Newark, according to CBS New York.

"Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers. Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages," the statement reads. "While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace."

The union and FAA both said they support the effort to modernize the system.

"We must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible," the FAA shared. "We are working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers."

Aaron Parnas, known for his breaking news on TikTok and other social media platforms, shared a video on Tuesday morning about Newark's situation.

"The outage for air traffic controllers in Newark lasted 90 seconds in New Jersey. Folks, 90 seconds is a very long time as planes are moving hundreds of miles an hour in the air," he said while ironically on a plane. "This 90 second outage caused complete chaos in Newark, such that a number of air traffic controllers have walked off the job due to the trauma cause as a result of this outage."

Parnas continued by explaining further.

"Now here's the deal. America's air traffic system is extremely archaic," he continued. "And the Trump administration acknowledged that after this massive failure. And they're working to reboot that, but according to Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, that could take years to finalize and actually do. And right now, there is complete chaos in Newark, New Jersey."

He suggested to his viewers to "reconsider" flying in or out of Newark at this time.

Later this week, I'm flying into Newark and then two days later, back out of Newark. Of course, none of this chaos was occurring when I made these plans months ago.

The question on my mind right now is do I just wing it (no pun intended) and go as planned, hoping for the best, or do I attempt to change my tickets to another airport?  The issue with the latter is the only airports close-ish to Newark that Spirit Airlines flies into and out of is LaGuardia and Philadelphia, which is a hassle considering where I'm staying and how short this trip is.

Have you been affected by Newark's recent chaos? Are you planning to fly in or out of Newark in the very near future? Want to share your story? Email me.