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Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) experienced more than 300 delays over the Memorial Day weekend, as the unofficial summer air travel season began in full swing. According to flight tracking data, disruptions started as early as Friday, with Saturday seeing the highest number of delays.
Newark Liberty International Airport IATA/ICAO Code EWR/KEWR Country United States CEO James Gill
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According to data from FlightAware.com, a total of 282 departing flights were delayed at EWR airport. On Saturday alone, the airport experienced 389 delays. This comes as EWR has been grappling with ongoing flight delays and cancellations for at least the past two weeks.
A Closer Look Into The Situation
Flight tracking data shows that United Airlines experienced the most delays on Saturday, with a total of 168 delayed flights. Republic Airways ranked second with 48 disrupted flights, followed by Delta Air Lines with 26 delays. Spirit Airlines closely followed with 25 delayed operations.
As of today, a total of 99 flights have been delayed at EWR. Once again, United Airlines recorded the most delays, followed closely by Spirit Airlines. Speaking with Long Island News 12, passengers shared their experiences regarding the disruptions. Amit Khetan told the publication:
"I'm worried if there's no flight at all. Then what happens? Do I go back home? I have to be somewhere, I have an event tomorrow morning. I actually really thought about driving to Philadelphia. I almost did it."
A Pilot Speaks Out
Indeed, EWR has recently experienced numerous disruptions and delays. A key contributing factor is a shortage of air traffic controllers, which has also raised safety concerns at the airport. In response, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed restrictions, limiting the airport to 56 flights per hour starting in mid-June 2025.
Pilot Pete Cappio, who was departing from Newark Liberty International Airport, shared his experience on TikTok, calling it "a disaster getting out of Newark Liberty Airport." He reported that it took 57 minutes from pushback to takeoff. While praising the air traffic controllers for doing an excellent job and emphasizing that the system remains very safe, he noted that passengers should expect delays as the new normal for now.
Located in the US state of New Jersey, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is by far United Airlines' most important gateway to New York City and the surrounding region. As a result, any disruptions at the airport significantly affect United Airlines.
Related How United Airlines Plans To Get Back On Track Following Newark Controller Chaos
The carrier has seen minimal cancellations at Newark in recent days.
Posts 5 Addressing The Issues
Newark Liberty faces several issues, including a runway construction project, staff shortages, and technology issues at Philadelphia TRACON, which guides aircraft in and out of the airport.
In mid-May, the FAA established an emergency task force to address telecommunications issues at EWR. The task force includes executive experts from Verizon and L3Harris and is working to add three new telecommunications connections between New York and Philadelphia to ensure system redundancy. According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the new task force is tasked to add three new connections between New York and Philadelphia to ensure communications redundancy. Hence, if one line goes down, a backup will be available.
This development followed a decline in public confidence over recent weeks after three incidents in which air traffic controllers lost their telecommunications lines. The first two incidents, on April 28 and May 9, involved 90-second outages, which caused controllers to lose radar and radio communication with aircraft. The outages resulted in significant flight disruptions. The third incident came on May 11. The main telecom line failed, but the backup was functioning correctly. Additionally, to maintain the highest safety standards, the FAA proposed to reduce airlines' daily schedules.