By Andrew Tangel and Bowdeya Tweh

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is accelerating some technology fixes within the air-traffic control operation that oversees Newark Liberty International Airport.

The details

   -- Air-traffic controllers in Philadelphia manage the complex, busy airspace 
      surrounding Newark. Their system for processing radar data is based in 
      New York. 
 
   -- The FAA said it is adding new, high-bandwidth connections between the 
      Philadelphia facility and New York to improve reliability and redundancy. 
      Eventually, the FAA wants to establish a hub for processing radar data at 
      the Philadelphia site. 
 
   -- The agency aims to replace copper telecommunications links with updated 
      fiber-optic technology. It will also deploy a temporary backup system 
      that can handle communications while transitioning to the fiber-optic 
      network. 

The Context

The FAA is scrambling to update and improve its air-traffic operation after a deadly midair collision in January, persistent equipment outages, stretched air-traffic controller staffing and continued close calls at airports around the country. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is expected to outline a plan to overhaul the air-traffic system on Thursday.

The agency has slowed arrivals and departures at Newark as a result of runway construction, as well as staffing and tech issues at the Philadelphia facility.

The spate of recent technology outages have led some FAA controllers overseeing the Newark airspace to seek trauma-related leave. United Airlines said Friday it would cancel 35 daily round-trip flights from Newark, after some controllers took leave following the equipment breakdowns.

The FAA said it is working to increase staffing of controllers who oversee Newark traffic. Last summer, the agency moved 24 of its controllers to the Philadelphia site from New York.

The agency said Wednesday the facility now has 22 fully certified controllers overseeing Newark and 21 more controllers and supervisors in training, part of what the FAA described as a "healthy pipeline."

Write to Andrew Tangel at andrew.tangel@wsj.com and Bowdeya Tweh at bowdeya.tweh@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 07, 2025 11:31 ET (15:31 GMT)

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