FAA cuts Newark's hourly flight cap to 56 after storm disruptions

The Federal Aviation Administration cut Newark Liberty International Airport’s maximum hourly traffic to 56 flights under an interim order issued May 20, 2025, after weeks of delays tied to controller shortages, equipment failures and runway work. The order set the airport at 28 arrivals and 28 departures per hour while construction on Runway 4-Left/22-Right was underway, according to the agency. The move took effect immediately and replaced a higher operating assumption that had previously allowed up to 77 combined arrivals and departures in some periods. The FAA said the goal was to reduce delays spreading through the national airspace system. ### Why did the FAA cut Newark to 56 flights an hour? The FAA said May 20 that Newark’s reduced rate was needed because construction, staffing challenges and recent equipment issues were combining to produce excessive delays. Acting FAA Administrator Christopher Rocheleau said in a statement that the agency’s goal was to relieve “substantial inconvenience to the traveling public” from disruptions that were magnifying across the broader system. (faa.gov) Runway 4L/22R construction was one immediate constraint. The FAA said daily construction was scheduled to continue through June 15, 2025, after which work would continue on Saturdays through the end of the year. During the construction period, the agency limited Newark to 28 arrivals and 28 departures an hour. Outside that period, the interim order allowed 34 arrivals and 34 departures an hour through Oct. 25, 2025. (faa.gov) ### How much of this was about controller staffing? The Newark-approach control operation was running below target staffing when the order was issued. The FAA said the facility that handles flights arriving and departing Newark had 24 certified professional controllers on staff against a target of 38, or about 63% of the desired level. (faa.gov) April 28 added another strain. The FAA said radio communications were lost for 30 seconds and radar went blank for 90 seconds during a busy afternoon, and five workers then took 45-day trauma leave. CBS New York later reported Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy saying the government had a plan to fix Newark and was asking for patience while it worked on staffing and equipment issues. (6abc.com) ### What were the equipment problems at Newark? The FAA said Newark had also been hit by telecommunications problems in addition to staffing shortages and runway construction. The agency said it was adding three high-bandwidth telecommunications connections between New York-area air traffic facilities and overflow centers in Philadelphia, replacing copper lines and trying to improve resilience. (6abc.com) CBS New York reported on May 12, 2025 that controllers handling Newark traffic had dealt with three equipment malfunctions in two weeks, including two radar outages lasting between 30 and 90 seconds. Duffy told the station that the government was working with Verizon to improve telecommunications connections and had replaced copper lines with fiber. (simpleflying.com) ### Was the 56-flight cap supposed to be temporary? The May 20 order was framed as an interim measure. The FAA said the 56-flight limit would apply while daily runway construction continued through June 15, 2025, and that the rate would then rise to 68 hourly operations outside construction windows through Oct. 25, 2025. The agency also said it could revise the numbers if capacity improved or if further cuts proved necessary. (cbsnews.com) June 6, 2025 became the next formal step. The FAA said in a final order issued that day that Newark’s reduced rates would remain in place through Dec. 31, 2025, with 28 arrivals and 28 departures per hour during airport construction on certain weekends and 34 arrivals and 34 departures per hour the rest of the time through Oct. 25, 2025. (faa.gov 1) (faa.gov 2)