Air Traffic Controller Sounds Alarm Over Staffing Crisis At Newark

 

A veteran air traffic controller is raising serious concerns about deteriorating conditions inside the system responsible for handling flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport, pointing to chronic understaffing, repeated technology failures, and dangerous near-miss incidents.

“It’s like playing 3-D chess at 250 miles an hour,” said Jonathan Stewart, a supervisor at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility, which manages air traffic for Newark. “Like anything else, you’re going to have a breaking point.”

Stewart and other controllers are speaking out amid a spike in delays and cancellations driven by runway construction, airspace congestion, and critically low staffing levels. A high-level meeting between airline executives and federal aviation officials is underway to discuss reducing the number of flights at Newark to mitigate operational strain.

TRACON’s problems were compounded by two alarming outages on April 28 and May 9, during which radar systems went dark and radio communications briefly failed. Controllers were unable to see aircraft locations or communicate with pilots, prompting trauma leave for several staff members who were deeply shaken by the incidents.

“I don’t want to be responsible for killing 400 people,” Stewart said, describing the psychological toll these failures have taken on him and his colleagues.

He revealed that he now resorts to writing aircraft call signs in a notebook out of fear another blackout could occur. One such near-disaster happened on May 4, when a Gulfstream jet and a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft came dangerously close to colliding in midair after departing Morristown Municipal Airport. Stewart helped avert catastrophe, but the experience left him rattled and motivated to speak out publicly.

While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) insists that safety was maintained and proper instructions were issued to the pilots, Stewart sent a scathing email to FAA leadership afterward, criticizing their handling of the crisis and the broader staffing issues.

Currently, only 24 out of 38 required certified professional controllers are on staff at the TRACON facility—just 63% of necessary coverage. Sixteen of those will be reassigned to a New York facility next year, further straining the operation. The FAA has acknowledged the shortfall and says additional staffing is planned, along with a “healthy pipeline” of training classes through next July.

At a Senate hearing this week, FAA Deputy Chief Operating Officer Franklin McIntosh testified that the April 28 radar outage was caused by the failure of a primary telecommunications line, with the backup system failing to activate. The outage left just three controllers managing all Newark traffic for over an hour during one of the busiest periods of the week.

The situation at Newark has drawn attention due to several similar incidents in recent days, including a ground stop on Sunday morning and another radar outage on May 9. Video footage reportedly shows the moment radar screens came back online during the May 9 failure, highlighting the nerve-wracking conditions controllers are facing.

The FAA has since launched an emergency task force to stabilize operations at Newark and has initiated a “delay reduction meeting” with major airlines, including United, Delta, JetBlue, American, Alaska, Spirit, and Allegiant, to consider limiting flights ahead of the peak summer travel season.

Still, the systemic issues run deep. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association warns that the nation’s controller workforce is near a 30-year low, with hiring and retention proving difficult. The situation is especially dire at Newark, where staffing levels have lagged for years.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby recently pointed to a severe controller shortage as a key factor behind the airport’s recent disruption, saying more than 20% of local FAA staff “walked off the job” last week. Stewart strongly disputes that claim, saying controllers haven’t abandoned their posts and are not responsible for the delays.

He stressed that while individual safety incidents may not feel overwhelming in isolation, they carry a cumulative emotional weight that can lead to burnout.

As summer approaches and air traffic surges, controllers at Newark and beyond are bracing for more pressure—without the resources they say are desperately needed to keep the skies safe.