The widespread issues at Newark’s Liberty International Airport have become worldwide news.
Problems with arrivals and departures as well as significant air-traffic control outages have resulted in hundreds of delays and thousands of disgruntled and frustrated passengers.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and others have noted the urgency needed to solve some of the most glaring issues, and it appears that steps are being made to address some of the problems.
In an effort to combat the congestion at the airport, the FAA has announced a plan to reduce the number of flights each day, a number that will gradually increase as the aiport proves that it can handle more capacity.
At the height of the recent issues at the airport, 40 incoming and 40 departing flights per hour could be seene. The new limit will be 28 flights per hour through June 15.
Runway construction is expected to be completed on that date at the airport, another move that should make things better from a logistical standpoint.
The number will increase again to 34 landings an hour through Oct. 25 if all goes well with the previous incremental adjustment.
The FAA met with airlines for three hours straight this week to determine possible solutions, and it seems that they’ve worked to reach a temporary solution with a potential long-term fix.
Air-traffic controllers continue to have traumatic experiences on the job at Newark, leading some to take extended absences via their union-mandated leave.
The trauma and stress of working in an environment can take its toll, and having to see planes fly “blind” was a stressor for those who walked away.
To make matters worse, officials also warned of a potential measles outbreak at the airport.
The New Jersey Department of Health noted that the person who entered the airport with measles was a non-New Jersey resident, and that they visited the stage while infectious last week.
Parents have been urged to be extremely cautions with their children, and to stay up to date with vaccinations on diseases like measles, mumps and rubella.
We’ll see if the issues in Newark are finally on their way to being resolved after a difficult spring for one of New Jersey’s biggest airports.