FAA institutes Ground Delay Program at Newark airport due to staffing shortages

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) instituted yet another ground delay at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on Monday, just one day after their previous delay.

"Due to FAA staffing issues, the FAA has instituted a Ground Delay Program at #EWR," the airport posted on X.

The average flight is leaving one hour and 41 minutes later than scheduled, according to the latest FAA advisory.  

"The FAA has been slowing arrivals and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport due to runway construction at Newark and staffing and technology issues at Philadelphia TRACON, which guides aircraft in and out of the airport," the FAA said in a statement.

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Information in a notice to the Federal Register ahead of a meeting Wednesday at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., regarding EWR says Philadelphia TRACON has 82 Certified Professional Controllers while its "target staffing number" is 114.

"The federal register notice outlines proposed rates now and after runway construction," an FAA spokesperson told FOX Business. 

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"Generally speaking, the arrival rate is dynamic and variable depending on conditions throughout the day including weather, staffing levels or equipment capabilities," he said. 

Operations appear to be improving at EWR, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, which says there have only been 14 cancellations at the northeast hub airport in the last 24 hours. FlightAware said Sunday that there had been 70 flight cancellations at EWR in the previous 24 hours.

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Sunday's delay also involved Philadelphia TRACON. The FAA told FOX Business in a statement at the time that "[t]here was a telecommunications issue at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace."

"The FAA briefly slowed aircraft in and out of the airport while we ensured redundancies were working as designed," the statement continued.

On Saturday, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby did a pre-recorded interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation," where he maintained his stance that flying is safe and backup procedures are in place for equipment outages.

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"It's the safest way to travel by far," Kirby said. "I understand how people feel and empathize with that, but I know it's safe because I've spent my whole career in it. I know all the people in aviation, whether they work at United Airlines, other airlines, the FAA. Safety is number one, and it is in the core DNA of everyone."