(Bloomberg) – The airline CEO is expected to work with American Airlines officials to prevent more Newark airport flights, a solution that could alleviate short-term safety issues but would not solve long-term challenges.
The move was a key facility that suffered a second radar failure within weeks of bringing the aircraft into Newark, making it the face of a beleaguered air traffic system, with hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled and operations lasting for several days.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it will hold talks with airline officials in Washington on May 14. The FAA said it plans to propose limiting the airport to no more than 56 operations per hour. “The airport is clearly unable to cope with the current scheduled operational levels,” the FAA said in a notice on Friday.
Due to the shortage of technology and staff, aviation officials and lawmakers are competing for a crisis that has been around for years. Meanwhile, the rattled travelers avoid Newark altogether. And the CEO of the airline? They have.
No airline executive is more at risk than Scott Kirby.
Kirby’s United Airlines Holdings Inc., which operates 68% of the airport’s flights, is tired of what he calls untenable in critical transport centers, with too much traffic at the transportation hub and not enough support.
Over the years, the CEO has repeatedly called for a shortage of air traffic controllers and aging technology and said in 2023 that “FAA has frankly failed us.” He hit the agency’s “Ancient Facilities” at an investor meeting in March, saying separately that the network “frequently failed.” In a memo this week, Kirby said the FAA has passed, and the situation in Newark is past.
The situation surfaced after the shocking incident on April 28, Philadelphia’s air control facility directed radar and radio contact to Newark’s airspace for 90 seconds. The second 90-second interrupt controller was there early Friday morning. No one was injured, but the consequences of the joint client were serious.
From April 26 to May 6, more than 226,500 passengers in Newark were damaged by flights, delays or transfers in Newark due to air transport control personnel and airspace restrictions. Travelers with 1,155 delayed flights spent more than 296,000 hours, which is equivalent to nearly 34 years.
“Newark is just a mess,” said Bloomberg intelligence analyst George Ferguson. Kirby “hopes to make Newark work better because it’s an important hub for them.”
The airline said it will voluntarily fly 35 times a day after it is linked to controller shortages and construction work at the airport, the airline said. Newark is leaving 293 times a day, and its current business is down 33% from its historical level.
According to Ferguson’s estimates, the latest planned cuts over the 60-day period could result in Manchester United’s expected second-quarter capacity by about 0.5%, reducing revenue by $90 million and profit by $9 million.
“Manchester United pays more than any other airline for the weaknesses of air traffic control,” said Samuel Engel, senior vice president and former head of Aviation Group at the ICF. “Part of that is Newark, and partly because Newark is crucial to their systems and their revenue.”
Compared to Newark airlines, few airlines are closely related to a single major airport. It is the airline’s largest international hub, a key feeder for flights nationwide, and a major link to New York City.
Manchester United ended its small business in 2022 at John F. Kennedy International Airport after failing to reach an agreement with the FAA to expand the business. Ongoing issues in Newark could raise questions about whether carriers will seek to return to Kennedy International Airport.
Some travelers in New Jersey have been rebooking flights to avoid delays and cancellations. Kirby’s critical comments may resonate with customers by transferring blame from airlines.
“At the end of the day, even if it means short-term cancellation, it’s about trust building.”
Air traffic control issues have exacerbated the situation already existing in aviation this year. Domestic demand has slowed significantly amid economic concerns, with high-profile accidents fraught with some people even if it still flies safely.
Manchester United’s latest flight cuts are based on rolling, depending on what is most likely to move to other flights. In other cases, combine two flights into one or larger aircraft, replacing them with smaller aircraft. The airline said it tried to disrupt the minimum number of people changing.
In the middle of this month, Manchester United will decide on specific pathways that will be suspended at least until May 25 to May 25.
Kirby declined to comment on this article, saying in a memo this week that the FAA should take measures, including restricting flights in Newark and increasing personnel from air traffic control personnel. He expressed support for the changes U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is seeking for the U.S. air traffic system.
Kirby joined his peers from Delta Air Lines Inc., American Airlines Group Inc. and several other airlines on Thursday to support the government’s announcement of an upgrade.
Duffy’s proposal will use fiber, wireless and satellite systems to transform the U.S. air traffic system within three years, but has not made a specific funding request, although he said it will require hundreds of billions of dollars.
The FAA currently has about 3,000 air traffic controllers understaffed, and some existing employees say they are at a breakout point. Anecdotes about copper wire, floppy disks and other fossil technologies are still common.
Schiffer said Kirby walked a thin line between the FAA in Newark and the feathers that didn’t fight in the administration that convened President Donald Trump.
“He had to balance the two and also show the public that he was their safe housekeeper,” Schiffer said. “It was not an easy task.”
New York’s Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is more direct in evaluating the Trump administration’s practices so far.
“The non-functioning backup system must be addressed,” Schumer said in a statement Friday. “This is an air travel safety emergency that requires immediate and decisive action, rather than a commitment to a large, unfunded overhaul, which will take years to start implementation. The sky of New York City is some of the busiest in the world. It’s impossible to happen again.”
– Assistance with Allyson Versprille.
(Added context on outdated technology in paragraph 24.)
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