Fri May 09 21:05:15 UTC 2025: ## Second Newark Airport Radar Outage Sparks Calls for Air Traffic Control Overhaul

**Newark, NJ –** A second major radar outage at Newark Liberty International Airport in less than two weeks has intensified pressure on the Trump administration to modernize outdated air traffic control systems and address staffing shortages. The latest incident, a 90-second communications failure at a Philadelphia facility affecting Newark, occurred Friday morning, causing further delays and cancellations. While air traffic controllers and pilots have training to handle such outages, the recurring problems have raised serious safety concerns.

The outage, similar to one on April 28th that resulted in hundreds of delays and dozens of diverted flights, led to frustrated controllers and pilots. One controller’s recorded communication captured the tension: “Our scopes just went black again,” highlighting the recurring nature of the problem.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged the outage, attributing it to telecom and software issues, and pledged upgrades. However, this assurance has done little to quell criticism. The incidents follow a January mid-air collision near Washington D.C. and earlier Trump administration cuts to FAA personnel, moves critics say have exacerbated existing staffing shortages and increased the risk of malfunctions.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) has directly called for increased staffing at Newark Airport, emphasizing that this is a public safety issue, not a partisan one. While Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced plans to modernize the air traffic control system, including replacing outdated technology, the project’s success hinges on Congressional approval and funding.

The repeated outages highlight a critical need for both immediate solutions to address the current technological flaws and long-term investment in modernizing the nation’s aging air traffic control infrastructure. The Trump administration faces mounting pressure to deliver both.

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