Travelers Steer Clear of This New York City Airport Amid Safety Concerns, Renovation
A multi-billion-dollar makeover of Newark Liberty International Airport was branded as an opportunity to transform one of America’s worst airports into one of its best. Unfortunately, its sorry state might be the least of its problems. Last week, more than 20% of air traffic controllers “walked off the job” after a catastrophic equipment failure, causing multiple controllers to take trauma leave. This failure led to a temporary loss of radar and communications with aircraft for a period of time in one of the country’s busiest airspaces.
- After the outage, one controller said it was “not safe” to fly into Newark, which experienced a second outage on Friday morning.
- Making matters worse, Newark is also facing a planned shutdown of its busiest runway, exacerbating already long delays for travelers.
Word to the wise: While officials say that Newark remains “absolutely safe,” travelers might be wise to read the room and avoid it. If nothing else, FAA-imposed delays, hundreds of canceled flights, and slimmed flight schedules from key airlines are enough of a reason to pick another NYC-area airport if you have plans to visit the Big Apple. At least until the FAA works out how it will “improve the reliability of operations,” the newly renovated LaGuardia and a still-under-construction JFK are likely a surer and safer bet.