In a chaotic turn of events, air traffic controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport suddenly lost all radar and radio contact with aircraft, creating panic and sparking massive flight delays.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy admitted the failure stemmed from antiquated systems that the previous administration had ignored.
The stunning equipment failure left controllers at Newark Liberty completely blind and mute, unable to communicate with dozens of aircraft in their airspace.
According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, workers were “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them.”
This terrifying scenario created immediate dangers for incoming and outgoing flights at one of the nation’s busiest airports, triggering cascading delays that affected over 1,500 flights.
Scrambling to deflect blame for the past administration’s inaction, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters:
“This should have been dealt with in the last administration. They did nothing. So the primary communication line went down, the backup line didn’t fire… [and] we lost contact with air traffic control. That’s a big problem.”
Duffy continued, “Now, were planes going to crash? No, they have communication devices. They can see other air traffic like GPS in the airplanes. But it’s a sign that we have a frail system in place, and it has to be fixed.”
Yet after over three years in power, the Biden-Harris administration has failed to modernize critical aviation infrastructure, prioritizing woke agenda items instead of public safety.
The situation exposed the alarming fragility of America’s air traffic control system. Apparently, only seconds of downtime threatened the safety of countless passengers.
When the equipment failed, an air traffic controller was heard saying, “Approach lost all the radars. Three of the four radar screens went black, and they have no frequency.”
This nightmarish scenario was compounded by chronic understaffing across the system, with approximately 3,000 air traffic controller positions currently vacant nationwide.
Following the incident, several air traffic controllers took time off under the Federal Employees Compensation Act, which the mainstream media immediately mischaracterized as workers “walking off the job.”
This staffing shortage further compounded delays and cancellations. The stress on these controllers highlights the dangerous conditions they are forced to work under, with outdated equipment and insufficient personnel.
Even liberal New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has been forced to acknowledge the crisis, calling for immediate action to address the air traffic chaos in his region.
Meanwhile, United Airlines announced plans to cut 35 daily flights from Newark due to the system’s unreliability, which will hurt travelers, businesses, and the regional economy.
The FAA claims it will “slow arrivals when there are staffing or equipment issues for safety reasons,” but these reactive measures merely bandage a systemic problem requiring a complete overhaul.
Governor Murphy has called for immediate action, emphasizing that the state cannot afford delays, particularly with major events like the upcoming World Cup Finals.
The stakes are high, and America must respond rapidly and decisively to retain its status as a global aviation leader.
