By Sarah Thompson and Andrew Patel

NEWARK (Reuters) – Recent issues at Newark Liberty International Airport have caused concern among travelers. In the past two weeks, there have been two separate equipment outages that disrupted communication between air traffic controllers and pilots.

As one of the busiest airports in the United States, Newark handled nearly 49 million passengers last year. However, runway construction and staffing shortages have led to an increase in cancellations and delays.

The most alarming problem, according to travelers, is the disruptions to communication between pilots and air traffic control. Some have even questioned the safety of flying out of the airport.

Mikhail Liverpool, a passenger from Somerset County, expressed his concerns after experiencing a four-hour delay on his flight to Georgia. He stated, “It’s a little concerning that this is the second outage in under 30 days. The fact that they didn’t remediate the problem the first time is worrisome to say the least.”

Mark Nelson, a systems engineer at Siemens Healthineers, used Newark as his preferred airport for work and personal travel. However, after the two incidents, he has decided to avoid it altogether. “If the FAA or someone tells you it is safe to fly from Newark, do not believe them,” he warned.

The airport has already been known for its difficulties, with JD Power ranking it the lowest in overall customer satisfaction among mega airports in North America last year.

Since May 1, flight cancellations have skyrocketed to an average of