Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., is calling for US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to “immediately correct the situation at Newark Airport” following the disaster and chaos of travel.
“Traffic controllers that can’t talk to planes, technology that’s not working better than Tin Can, they don’t think this is about the Trump administration’s FAA, but they think this is real and this situation is dangerous.
“We spoke with the FAA last week. We feel that today is not good about aviation safety status a week ago after this administration took control with the FAA. As I said last week, if Newark could happen in the Metro area, this dangerous situation could occur.
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Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called on Secretary Duffy to immediately correct the situation at Newark Airport. (Getty Images)
On Thursday, more than 500 flights in and out of Newark were delayed, with at least 200 people cancelled, and chaos continued throughout the weekend.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy denounced the poor technology situation in the X-Post.
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The plane is parked at Gates at Terminal A at Newar Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey (Gary Harshawn/Getty Images) on December 4th, 2024.
“The technology we use is old, and that’s what causes the outages and delays we see in Newark,” Duffy writes.
Schumer said Newark had an average of 34 arrival cancellations per day since mid-April, with delays increasing throughout the day, up from an average of 5 to 16 by the evening, according to the FAA. Reports suggest that they tend to last between 85 and 137 minutes on average.
Lawmakers respond to the disruption at Newark Airport: “Your family deserves to know you’re safe.”
Travelers will be seen at Newar Liberty International Airport prior to Thanksgiving on November 26th, 2024 (Rokman Vollar Erivol/Anadoru by Getty Images)
On Sunday, Schumer said Duffy “squeeze Newark first and say he’ll be made into the country’s ATC system.”
He also provided specific details about the work that needs to be performed, including installing a direct fiber optic communications telephone line between Newark Airport and the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control Center. Schumer asked for “analysis and view modernized direct connections and new computers, and view and view the data sent.”
In a lengthy statement obtained by FOX News and Fox Business, the FAA admitted that “several major airlines are facing continuous flight disruptions at Newar Riverty International Airport in New Jersey as facilities compete for ongoing staffing and technical issues.”
“Last week, air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility in Philadelphia headed a plane for nearly 90 seconds towards Newark, losing radar and radio signals, causing significant delays and flight cancellations,” the statement continued.
“We are working to make current communications equipment more reliable in the New York area by establishing more resilient and redundant configurations with local exchange personnel. Additionally, we are updating our automation systems to improve resilience.”
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When contacted Fox News Digital, a representative for Duffy pointed to an interview the secretary gave Fox Business earlier in the day to “The Evening Edit.”
“I love Democrats who are all interested in air traffic control right now,” Duffy said.
“They spent $1.2 trillion during their Biden Buttigieg days, $1.2 trillion on American infrastructure and nothing on air traffic. [control] And they knew it was out of date and needed a massive reconstruction. They didn’t do that. Now they’re complaining during the Trump administration, we are. ”
Andrea Margolis and Charles Creitz of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, murder, national crime cases, illegal immigration and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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