(WBRE/WYOU) — A new announcement from the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday afternoon: The FAA says it is reducing the number of flights arriving and departing from Newark Airport. It's all because of air traffic control issues and ongoing construction.
The new maximum number of takeoffs and landings will be capped at 56 per hour. That's 28 arrivals and 28 departures.
It could be adjusted depending on conditions.
This follows a string of incidents at the airport that have caused serious concerns. Including one where controllers lost radio and radar contact with planes for 90 seconds.
The decision comes after weeks of cancellations and delays due to air traffic controller shortages and runway construction. 28/22 News Reporter Amelia Sack spoke with travel experts in northeastern Pennsylvania to see what you can expect while traveling.
This announcement comes just before the start of summer, when many people will be flying and passengers will feel the effects. Cuts to flights are coming to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey just before Memorial Day weekend.
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A spokesperson from the FAA says the goal is to make traveling easier for people after flight delays due to construction, staffing challenges, and recent equipment issues.
One local travel agency says they are already seeing the effects.
"We had a group in San Antonio, Texas, for the last couple days. They came in yesterday, and little snafu with their flight, but what we did is we redirected them. Instead of a direct flight to Newark, we actually just had a little bit of a layover in another city for about an hour and half," Allen Kline with Travelworld stated.
Kline says the good news is these cancellations are mainly impacting flights within the US.
"We are getting a ton of calls, almost a half a dozen calls a day, and really, it's really just affecting domestic travel. So, everything we're doing internationally, we really haven't seen any effects at all," Kline continued.
Experts say if you're planning to fly out of Newark or any airport, you should download the app of whichever airline you are using because it will have the most up-to-date flight information.
"That actually has the most up-to-date information, more before Google gets it, or sometimes faster than some of the teleprompters or the screens in the airport," Kline added.
Another good tip to keep in mind: have a backup plan, and give yourself enough time to get where you need to be.
"If you have a layover, you wanna maybe sometimes have more than an hour or two between the layover, just in case your first flight is running a little late, if that flight lands late, you wanna make sure you have enough time to get on your next flight," Kline said.
These changes will impact many airlines at Newark and are expected to last well into October.
