United Presses Feds Over Delays at Newark

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is urging the federal government to help solve congestion problems at Newark-Liberty International Airport, one of United’s hubs.

In an article written by Reuters News Service, a recent runway repair project has played havoc with flights this summer. Kirby asked Buttigieg and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Steve Dickson "to temporarily and proportionally reduce the number of operations per hour at Newark while airport capacity is constrained by runway construction."

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Newark, which was the 15th busiest U.S. airport in 2020 by total passengers, has seen lengthy flight delays, long taxi delays and numerous cancellations in recent weeks. United is especially affected, as it accounts for almost 65 percent of all flights departing and arriving a Newark, a figure that dates back to the pre-merger Continental days.

In the July 15 letter, which has not been previously published nor reported by anyone other than Reuters, Kirby said that during a six-day period in July "the average number of (Newark) flight cancellations by all airlines was more than 100 flights per day" which placed a "severe strain on employees and operations."

Kirby asked the FAA to "bring together all relevant parties to reduce the number of flights per hour temporarily and proportionally during July, August, and September."