US aviation authorities cut flights at Newark Airport

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - US aviation authorities have cut flight operations at Newark Liberty International Airport by 25% as staffing shortages, runway construction, and repeated technical failures continue to plague the facility, causing major flight disruptions.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Tuesday the number of flights allowed per hour at the New York-area airport will be capped at 56 while daily construction continues through June 15.

After that, construction will take place only on Saturdays, and during non-construction periods, a limit of 68 flights per hour will apply until Oct. 25, the statement says.

The temporary measures aim to ease the heavy delays that have frustrated passengers for weeks.

The move follows a three-day meeting in Washington between the FAA, airlines, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark, according to a CNN report.

Newark’s air traffic control facility is operating at just 63% of its target staffing, with only 24 certified controllers instead of the required 38, the report says. In late April, radio and radar failures during peak hours triggered a wave of trauma leave among staff and highlighted ongoing telecommunications issues.

Critics of the Donald Trump administration have blamed the delays on firings since he took office in January in many areas of the government, including air traffic control, though since then the administration has tried to rehire laid-off workers.