Early Friday morning, May 9, 2025, Newark Liberty International Airport experienced yet another radar outage, marking the second such incident in two weeks.
The outage, which lasted approximately 90 seconds, disrupted air traffic control operations and heightened concerns about the reliability of the airport’s aging infrastructure.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the radar screens at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Area C, which manages airspace around Newark, went dark at 3:55 a.m. EDT due to a telecommunications outage.
The disruption affected both radar displays and communication systems, leaving air traffic controllers temporarily unable to monitor or communicate with aircraft.
Air traffic controllers were heard instructing a FedEx cargo plane to report the issue to their company to expedite repairs.
In another instance, a private jet arriving from Cyprus was directed to maintain an altitude of at least 3,000 feet as a precautionary measure in case communication could not be reestablished during its descent.
The outage, though brief, occurred during a period of lighter overnight traffic, which minimized disruptions compared to a similar incident on April 28, 2025.
That earlier outage, also lasting 60 to 90 seconds, caused significant delays and cancellations, with air traffic controllers reporting a complete loss of radar and radio contact during a busier time of day.
The FAA attributed both incidents to telecommunications issues at the Philadelphia TRACON facility, which staffing shortages and outdated equipment have plagued.
The May 9 outage prompted the FAA to issue a ground stop for all flights at Newark, exacerbated by ongoing runway construction.
The ground stop, set to last until 11:15 a.m. ET, further disrupted flight schedules, though the impact was less severe due to the timing of the incident.
Air traffic controllers managed to maintain safety by issuing immediate instructions to aircraft, but the incident underscored the vulnerability of the current air traffic control system.
The April 28 outage had far-reaching consequences, leading to hundreds of flight delays and cancellations.
Since then, Newark has seen an average of 39 flight cancellations per day, compared to just four per day in early April, with on-time performance dropping from 80% to 63%.
United Airlines, a major carrier at Newark, responded by canceling 35 daily round-trip flights to alleviate congestion and issued a travel waiver allowing passengers to reschedule without fees.
The combination of equipment failures, staffing shortages, and external factors like runway construction and bad weather has made Newark the world’s leading airport for delays and cancellations in recent weeks.
