The FAA limits flights from Newark airport around 56 per hour

The Federal Aviation Administration published new temporary restrictions on flights on Tuesday in and outside the Newark Liberty international airport after the disturbances caused serious flight delays and cancellations in the congested installation.

In recent weeks, the airport has experienced a series of technological breakdowns, including a sudden failure of radio and radar systems last month; staff shortages among air controllers; And the construction of track – problems which, in addition to delays, have led to increased concerns about passenger safety.

The flights through Newark will be capped at 28 departures and 28 arrivals per hour until June 15, and each weekend from September to December, while the track construction is underway, according to the new plan, which the FAA published after having met representatives of the main airlines.

From June 15, hourly traffic will be limited to 34 departures and 34 arrivals until October 25.

“Our objective is to relieve the substantial disadvantages for the itinerant public of excessive flight delays due to the construction, the challenges of the endowment and the problems of recent equipment, which are growing when they spread to the national air space system,” said Chris Rocheleau, the actual administrator of the FAA, in a press release.

United Airlines, which operates around 70% of flights in Newark, praised the restrictions.

“The reduction in the number of flights planned in Newark will help guarantee that we can safely and reliably manage the flights that remain in the calendar, which is why we have proactively reduced our schedule earlier this month,” the airline said in the press release.

The time limits will restrict operations every day, generally during the hours and hours of the afternoon in charge, according to a New York Times analysis of Newark flight schedules provided by Cirium, an aviation data company. The flights scheduled for Wednesday, for example, exceed the new limits for seven hours of the day.