Newark Airport to Run with Just One Certified Air Traffic Controller During Peak Hours

A serious staffing crisis is putting air travel safety under the spotlight at Newark Liberty International Airport, where just one fully certified air traffic controller will be on duty Monday night during the airport’s peak hours, reported exclusively by NY Post.

Between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.—a period that typically sees up to 180 takeoffs and landings—Newark will rely on only one qualified controller and a trainee to handle all inbound and outbound air traffic. This is a drastic departure from the standard 15-person crew usually needed to safely manage the airport’s operations.

An air traffic controller familiar with the situation called it a dangerous move, stressing that such a skeleton crew simply can’t handle the volume of flights scheduled. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed there would be “no point” when zero controllers are present, but declined to say how many are fully certified versus trainees.

The situation nearly escalated into a total shutdown earlier in the day when no certified controllers were scheduled. A last-minute call-in from a controller on his day off helped avoid what insiders call a “zero ATC event,” a worst-case scenario where no certified personnel are available to operate the control tower.

Typically, Newark’s control room operates with five separate radar scopes, each assigned to a certified controller to monitor different airspace sectors. With only one or two certified individuals expected to be available, those remaining will have to manage multiple sectors alone—a highly risky setup in one of the nation’s busiest airspaces.

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