Newark ATC screens reportedly went dark for nearly 90 seconds

An air traffic control outage last Monday at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) caused radar screens to go dark for up to 90 seconds, stopping air traffic controllers (ATC) from speaking to pilots.

Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted all Newark departures, citing equipment issues at Philadelphia TRACON. Several controllers took medical leave, calling the event traumatic.

Since April 26, daily flight cancellations at the airport jumped from just 4 to 39, and on-time departures dropped from 80% to 63%, according to Cirium. It even led United Airlines to cut 35 daily round-trip flights, and its CEO criticized the aviation authority.

The FAA blames outdated systems and staffing shortages, while bad weather and runway work worsened delays, making EWR the world’s most affected airport.