Staffing shortages hit Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Thursday, triggering delays of an hour or more.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alert says there is a lack of staff in Philadelphia Area C, which is a sector of controlled airspace that many flights to and from Newark and other Northeast airports must pass through.
This airspace is managed by air traffic controllers who are responsible for sequencing and separating aircraft safely as they pass through the sector at altitudes ranging from the surface up to high cruising levels.
Because of the staffing shortage, controllers cannot process flights at the normal rate.
To maintain safety, flights that would normally pass through this sector are now being delayed on the ground with assigned departure times, rerouted around the congested area, or held in the air until space becomes available.
The alert noted that most arrivals will be delayed about 1.5 hours, with some over nine hours.
Due to air traffic staffing shortages, Newark flights are being spaced in 45-minute intervals on designated runways to keep arrivals and departures moving safely.
A ground delay program is in effect from 3:00pm to 11:59pm, with departures from the airport now averaging 88 minutes late.
Newark International Airport is experiencing delays on Thursday due to staffing shortages in Philadelphia
A Port Authority spokesperson told Daily Mail: ‘As the Port Authority is a self-sustaining non-federal agency, a government shutdown does not impact our ability to operate our own facilities, like the airport terminals.
‘However, as we saw in 2018-19, a federal government shutdown does affect federal workers who are essential to the functioning of the Port Authority’s airports, including TSA and CBP agents and air traffic controllers, which could result in delays and severe operating challenges at the airports.’
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) serves more than 45 air carriers with approximately 1,200 daily arrivals and departures to domestic and international destinations.
The FAA moved EWR’s airspace control to Philadelphia in May due to ‘a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers.’
The FAA for years has not met the staffing goal for the area that works Newark airspace,’ the agency told the Hill.
Flights are being sequenced and assigned Expected Departure Clearance Times (EDCTs) to manage congestion safely.
That means even if a plane is ready to depart, it may have to wait on the ground or hold in the air until its EDCT slot opens.
Arrival rates are set at 34 or 32 flights per interval, with revised sequencing for the 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM EST hours. M
The FAA’s alert noted that most flights are delayed by 87 min, but some are facing more than nine hours (STOCK)
The current staffing shortage has been linked to the government shutdown that has entered its ninth day, leaving thousands of federal employees, including Transportation Security Administration screeners and FAA air traffic controllers, working without pay.
Reports have noted that these staff are now calling in sick, leaving crucial spaces empty. It is unclear why the Philadelphia sector is experiencing a shortage.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNN on Wednesday that he was ‘encouraging air traffic controllers to show up for work,’ after noting an increase in the use of sick days earlier this week.
‘We’re having maybe a bit of rebellion by air traffic controllers caused by the shutdown,’ Duffy said.
‘The problem is, when I’ve talked to them, they are stressed out. They are wondering, how do they put food on the table?’
Duffy said 53 percent of current delays are a result of a lack of staffing, as compared to about five percent in recent months, before the shutdown.
‘My message to them: they work for me. They got to go to work, show up, control the airspace, and eventually they get paid,’ Duffy said.
Aviation monitor FlightAware reported around 10,000 flights delayed on Monday and Tuesday.
Although this is not thought to be an unusually high number, the FAA warned it could worsen.
‘As Secretary Duffy said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system,’ it said in a statement.
‘When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .