Flight delays of nearly five hours were reported at Newark Liberty International Airport Thursday evening, where roughly 170 trips were canceled.
The problems were due in part to construction on one of the runways, an air traffic control staff shortage and bad weather issues, according the Federal Aviation Administration.
Newark officials warned passengers they could be in for a rough night.
“You may experience delays and cancellations at @EWRairport due to a combination of @FAA staffing shortages, @FAA equipment issues, and wind conditions,” the airport posted on social media Thursday afternoon. “Please check your flight status with your airline before heading to the airport.”
The longest inconveniences appeared to have occurred at midday when delays exceeded five hours, according to ABC News. The average wait time was just under 90 minutes at that point. NBC News reported the maximum possible delay listed was nearly 10 hours.
Newark’s latest round of headaches comes on the tail of a manic Monday that saw 287 delays and 127 cancellations at the airport by 6 p.m. An equipment outage was blamed for that debacle. United, which has a hub at Newark, told travelers “An FAA equipment malfunction caused a significant disruption” expected to cancel and delay flights throughout the day.
The air travel business appears to be at a crossroads in a year that started with a series of crashes and continues with airlines managing expectations.
“In the first quarter we saw booking strength from January deteriorate into February and worsen into March,” JetBlue’s president Marty St. George in a recent statement after the company pulled its financial forecast impacted by slowing travel demand and weakened consumer confidence.
Trump administration policies including tariffs will likely factor into the equation.
Social media users appeared to be losing patience with operators at Newark.
“Why do you have staffing issues every single day?” one person asked.
“Due to ongoing FAA staffing challenges, EWR is experiencing operational disruptions,” the airline replied.
Several X users took issue with “the wind” being blamed for heavy travels issues.
With News Wire Service
