FAA Scrambles After Another Radar Failure at Newark Airport, GOP Slams Biden and Buttigieg for “Neglect and Chaos”
Air traffic control at Newark Liberty International Airport suffered another alarming radar and communications failure early Friday morning, the second in less than two weeks, raising serious questions about the safety of U.S. airspace and the Biden administration’s competence in modernizing critical infrastructure.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a telecommunications outage at Philadelphia TRACON Area C—which manages traffic into Newark—caused radar displays and radio communication to vanish for approximately 90 seconds at 3:55 a.m. on Friday, May 9.
“There was a telecommunications outage that impacted communications and radar display,” the FAA said. “The outage lasted approximately 90 seconds.”
The outage mirrors a nearly identical incident on April 28, where air traffic controllers also lost radar and radio visibility over Newark for roughly the same period. In that event, several controllers were reportedly placed on trauma leave, and United Airlines grounded 35 daily round-trip flights, citing unsafe conditions.
According to audio from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, controllers described being “unable to see, hear, or talk” to the aircraft they were guiding.
United Pulls Flights, Whistleblowers Warn of Unsafe Conditions
The situation has led United Airlines to drastically cut operations at the already congested Newark hub. According to airline sources, controllers have expressed grave concerns over their ability to manage traffic safely, with one whistleblower stating bluntly: “Newark is not safe.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Unleashes on Buttigieg, Biden
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a scathing rebuke of the administration’s handling of the FAA and airport safety, directly naming Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden for their failure to act on what he called a national safety crisis.
“What did they do? Nothing!” Duffy said. “Instead, they spent their time focused on changing the name of ‘cockpit’ to ‘flight deck.’”
Critics point out that billions of taxpayer dollars were allocated for modernization efforts, yet the air traffic control system remains antiquated, unstable, and vulnerable to blackout scenarios that could result in catastrophe.
System Failure or Symptom of Systemic Neglect?
With two major radar outages in a matter of 12 days at one of America’s busiest airports, concern is growing that Newark’s control systems—and perhaps the entire U.S. ATC infrastructure—are dangerously outdated. The events call into question the administration’s priorities, especially as Buttigieg focuses on diversity initiatives and naming conventions instead of critical transportation reform.
As these breakdowns become more frequent and more dangerous, Americans are asking: What else will fail before someone is held accountable?
