Sun May 11 13:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Another Radar Outage Hits Newark Airport, Underscoring Urgent Need for Air Traffic Control Modernization
**Newark, NJ –** A second radar and communication outage at Newark Liberty International Airport occurred early Friday morning, highlighting the critical need for modernization of the nation’s aging air traffic control system. The FAA reported a 90-second outage around 3:55 a.m. ET, impacting communication with aircraft and leaving controller radar screens blank. While the overnight disruption caused minimal flight disruptions due to lower air traffic volume, it follows a similar, more impactful outage on April 28th that caused widespread delays and prompted several controllers to take stress leave.
The April incident exacerbated existing staffing shortages at the Philadelphia air traffic control facility, which oversees Newark, forcing the FAA to slow down airport operations. Friday’s outage, strikingly similar to the April event, further underscores the fragility of the current system.
This latest incident comes just hours after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a plan to overhaul aging facilities and modernize air traffic control technology. Industry groups and labor unions have strongly supported the proposal, urging Congress to approve at least $31 billion over the next three years for upgrades and increased controller hiring. A House spending proposal has already included $12.5 billion for this purpose. The need for significant investment is clear, as the current system manages approximately 45,000 flights daily.
First Piper 