The Federal Aviation Administration wants to better align the hourly schedules of its employees at Newark Liberty International Airport in light of the additional slot waivers.
Newark is already considered one of the worst airports in the country for on-time performance.
The new plan would put limits on the hourly schedules. The goal is to limit congestion at the airport as airlines increase their takeoffs and landings at the facility. Current guidelines call for air traffic controllers, who are already suffering from a staff shortage, to process 79 takeoffs and landings per hour.
“Even with the current targeted scheduling limits, on-time performance at EWR is among the worst in the nation,” FAA writes in a notice published Sept. 20. “Since 2018, EWR has had the largest number of Ground Delay Programs (GDPs), the largest number of late arriving aircraft due to GDPs, and the lowest on-time arrival rate among the Core 30 airports.”
The FAA said it would adjust those guidelines downward for eight months beginning in March.
An 18-month analysis by the FAA found air traffic controllers trying to handle 88 operations per hour and said in its report “This imbalance in schedules and actual throughput results in congestion which, in turn, results in chronic delays and cancellations.”
In order to accomplish its goal, the FAA is asking for the voluntary cooperation of the airlines. United Airlines, which already uses Newark Airport as one of its hubs, said it would be more conservative with its takeoff and landings at the airport going forward.
“The reality is, Newark has more flights scheduled than the physical infrastructure can handle,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in July. Kirby has been a noted critic of the FAA and its scheduling of air traffic controllers. “We’ve simply passed the infrastructure.”
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
