Newark Airport Hit by Second Radar Blackout in Two Weeks, FAA Orders Brief Ground Stop

Air-traffic controllers guiding planes into Newark Liberty International Airport briefly lost both radar displays and radio contact at about 3:55 a.m. Eastern time on Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The 90-second blackout prompted the agency to order a ground stop at the New Jersey hub, one of the nation’s busiest, until systems were restored. The FAA attributed the disruption to a telecommunications failure at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Area C facility, which manages Newark’s airspace. No injuries were reported, but the incident renewed concerns over safety after a similar equipment outage on April 28 that led to hundreds of flight cancellations and delays. Friday’s malfunction comes as Newark grapples with an acute shortage of air-traffic controllers; several controllers have taken leave citing traumatic stress following last week’s problems. “That’s 90 seconds of a wholly filled-up sky of planes literally flying blind over one of America’s busiest airports,” Senator Chuck Schumer said, calling for a swift investigation. The FAA said it is examining the root cause of both outages and assessing whether additional redundancy is needed at the Philadelphia facility. Airlines warned travelers of possible residual delays heading into the peak summer season, while aviation unions urged the agency to accelerate hiring and bolster contingency plans.