Radar Outage Hits Newark Airport for Second Time/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Air traffic controllers at Newark Airport briefly lost radar contact Friday morning, marking the second outage in two weeks. The FAA confirmed a 90-second blackout linked to outdated infrastructure between its Philadelphia and New York facilities. Officials are accelerating efforts to modernize the air traffic control system nationwide.
Newark Radar Failure Quick Looks
- Newark Airport radar failed again early Friday morning.
- Controllers lost radar for 90 seconds at 3:55 a.m.
- FAA confirmed outage linked to Philadelphia radar center.
- Second radar outage in two weeks at Newark.
- Previous outage led to mass flight cancellations, trauma leave.
- Radar signal travels via outdated copper wires between cities.
- FAA installing new fiber optic lines to address failures.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a modernization plan.
- Plan follows deadly January air collision near D.C.
- System overhaul aims to prevent future control system failures.
Radar Outage Hits Newark Airport for Second Time
Deep Look
Newark Air Traffic Controllers Lose Radar Access Again, Exposing System Vulnerabilities
NEWARK, N.J. — For the second time in two weeks, air traffic controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport briefly lost radar contact early Friday morning, renewing concerns about the fragility of the U.S. air traffic control system and its aging infrastructure.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported a 90-second radar outage at 3:55 a.m. ET, caused by a failure at its Philadelphia radar facility, which manages aircraft traffic in and out of Newark. This incident mirrors a similar breakdown that occurred on April 28, triggering widespread delays and cancellations.
“Some of the lines between our facilities are still copper. That’s not acceptable anymore,” an FAA spokesperson said.
Critical System Downtime, Again
Although brief, Friday’s radar failure once again exposed the system’s vulnerability, particularly at major East Coast hubs like Newark. During the previous outage, not only were hundreds of flights affected, but several air traffic controllers took trauma leave, exacerbating already strained staffing levels.
The FAA says it’s now taking action. This week, the agency began installing fiber optic lines between radar facilities in Philadelphia and New York, replacing the decades-old copper wiring responsible for transmitting critical data.
National System Overhaul Underway
The repeated failures at Newark have added urgency to a massive modernization plan unveiled Thursday by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The multi-billion-dollar initiative aims to replace outdated radar and communication equipment, improve reliability, and help prevent future blackouts.
“We use radar from the 1970s,” Duffy said. “It’s like trying to run modern air traffic on a flip phone.”
The FAA’s broader system upgrade plan was developed after a deadly midair collision in January, which claimed 67 lives when an Army helicopter and a passenger aircraft collided near Washington, D.C. While the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not officially linked that crash to system failures, the incident has accelerated reform efforts.
A Long-Known Problem
Air traffic controllers and aviation experts have long warned that the U.S. air traffic control system is dangerously outdated. Some components still rely on technology that predates the modern internet, and others are vulnerable to weather-related disruptions, electronic interference, and basic infrastructure decay.
The FAA says Friday’s radar drop did not result in any immediate safety incidents, but they slowed air traffic as a precaution. With over 45,000 flights crossing U.S. airspace daily, even a short disruption can ripple across the national system.
“We’re playing catch-up,” one FAA technician told reporters. “This shouldn’t be happening in 2025.”
Looking Forward
The FAA and Department of Transportation insist the Newark radar outages are being taken seriously, and that long-overdue upgrades are being prioritized.
But until the full overhaul is complete — projected for 2028, according to Duffy — travelers and air traffic controllers may continue to face system reliability concerns, especially at busy regional hubs.
The recent failures underscore the urgency of modernizing America’s aviation infrastructure, both to improve safety and to restore public confidence in a system pushed to its limits.
You must Register or Login to post a comment.