Newark Airport suffers third system outage in less than 2 weeks

Yet another equipment outage at Newark Liberty International Airport has caused widespread delays on Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the third outage in less than two weeks happened after a backup air traffic control system momentarily failed.

The FAA confirmed there was another system outage Sunday morning, but unlike the previous two out of the Philadelphia facility that controls Newark Liberty's operations, the latest one involved a momentary failure of a backup system, which prompted a 45-minute ground stop to ensure that system was back up and running properly. While the FAA said operations returned to normal, there was a domino effect with flights.

So far, there have been more than 200 delays and at least 80 cancellations, impacting domestic and international flights. The one saving grace appears to be Mother's Day has resulted in less crowds at Terminal B.

In addition to the system outages, Newark Liberty is also dealing with air traffic control staffing shortages. However, officials are assuring travelers that flights in and out of Newark are safe.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says a fix for the airport's problems is on the way, but in the coming weeks the number of flights will be cut.

"We're going to have this reduced capacity at Newark. I'm convening a meeting of all the airlines that serve Newark, get them to agree on how they're gonna reduce the capacity," Duffy said. "We are building a new line that goes directly from Newark to the Philly TRACON, which controls the New York airspace. What happens now is it goes from Newark to N90, which is where it used to be controlled, and then down to Philly. That doesn't make sense. We're gonna have a direct line there."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the feds need to prioritize fixing the situation at Newark Liberty before the problems start popping up elsewhere.

"What happened in Newark can happen all across the country. So if they fix Newark quickly, they can learn from it, and they can also assure the public that they're on top of things and actually know how to fix it. Not just say they're going to fix, but actually fix it," Schumer said.

"The FAA must put Newark first and must put everything they've got into fixing Newark ASAP. This situation cannot last. We need all hands on deck at the FAA," he added.

Passengers say their patience is running out.

"I have all four of my kids here for celebration and we didn't think we were going to be here delayed and not at home already," Teah Thompson said of her expected trip to Georgia. "We have to stay overnight until 12 p.m. tomorrow."

"This airport is horrible," another traveler said.

"Second delay we are experiencing within three delays," said Keirsten Jones of Los Angeles.

"Hopefully, they get it figured out soon because this is a huge airport and there are a lot of people here," said MacKenzie Holmes of Los Angeles.

Naveen Dhaliwal

Naveen Dhaliwal joined the CBS News New York team in April 2023 as a general assignment reporter covering stories of all kinds across the tri-state area. Prior to CBS New York, Naveen reported for WABC-TV. She was first to report the rash of South Asian attacks in the Spring of 2022. Naveen won an Emmy for her work during the July 2019 Manhattan blackout.