The recent malfunction of the radar system at Newark Liberty International Airport has brought to light the profit-driven priorities of the airline industry and their government collaborators. On April 28 and May 9, radar directing planes in and out of the airport collapsed for 90 seconds, causing chaos and delays for flights. This was followed by another outage on May 11, when the backup telecommunications system also failed.

Galen Munroe, a spokesperson for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), explained that workers at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control center, responsible for guiding aircraft at Newark, were unable to communicate with the pilots. This led to a controller instructing a United Airlines flight to look out for other planes, since they were unable to track their location. As a result, flights were delayed, cancelled, or redirected over the past two weeks. This issue has arisen due to the FAA’s decision to move Newark controllers to a facility in Philadelphia last summer, with the justification of recruiting staff from a more affordable location.

Despite the fact that 14 controllers should have been on shift on April 28, only four were scheduled, highlighting the dire staffing situation. In fact, one controller told the Wall Street Journal that the current staffing levels are neither safe nor efficient. The union estimates that there is a shortage of about 3,000 fully certified controllers, with many working long hours and six-day workweeks.

Data from the FAA itself reveals that a staggering 76% of the agency’s air-traffic systems nationwide are either “unsustainable” or “potentially unsustainable”. This is further evidenced by the fact that there are an average of 700 communications outages every week. This issue has had severe consequences in the past, such as the midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and a regional jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which resulted in the deaths of 67 people.

In response to the recent radar failures, Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America, released a statement on May 2, stating that the NATCA has been warning for decades that infrastructure must be rebuilt and modernized. She also called on Newark airport to reduce the number of flights to alleviate the pressure on the already strained air traffic control system.

It is worth noting that air traffic controllers have been fighting for better working conditions for a long time. In 1981, over 13,000 members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization went on strike, demanding a wage raise and a four-day, 32-hour workweek. However, their efforts were met with resistance from then-President Ronald Reagan, who fired them and banned them from ever being rehired. This measure was only overturned years later.

The recent incidents at Newark airport have shed light on the dire state of the air traffic control system in the United States. It is essential for the government and the airline industry to prioritize the safety and efficiency of air travel by addressing the staffing