Newark-Liberty International Airport was again plagued by dozens of cancellations and delays Sunday, the latest in a series of issues that prompted United to cut 35 daily flights from the airport.
As of Sunday afternoon, more than 100 total flights in and out of Newark were canceled, while more than 300 were delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
Newark had the highest cancellation and delay percentages in the world on Sunday, according to FlightAware. The second-worst airport, Ben Guiron in Tel Aviv, Israel, was hit with a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Newark has been hampered by staffing and technology issues, and on Friday, United Airlines announced it would cut 35 daily flights from the airport, about 10% of its schedule.
“Keep in mind, this particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years and without these controllers, it’s now clear – and the FAA tells us – that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in a public letter.
Sunday marked a full week of issues at Newark, with trouble beginning April 28 as technology issues compounded and forced the entire airport into a brief ground stop. By Thursday, some flights were being delayed as long as five hours.
