FAA Head Says Newark Airport Problems Should Be Fixed by October

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration has given a major update on the problems at Newark Airport.

That will likely interest travelers, who have dealt with delayed and cancelled flights since the issues emerged.

However, passengers shouldn't expect a quick fix at Newark Liberty International Airport. FAA's acting head, Chris Rocheleau, said the technology and staffing problems at the Newark airport won't be fixed until October.

“The (transportation) secretary has been very clear with me that we need to fix this, and we’re fixing this now,” Rocheleau said June 4 at a budget hearing before Congress. “The second piece to that is the staffing. I think by October, we will be very healthy in there at staffing levels that we need.”

According to CNN, the FAA previously caused controversy by moving responsibility for the Newark airport's air traffic control from New York to Philadelphia.

Rocheleau's comments came after there were "four air traffic control system outages in recent weeks, leaving pilots and controllers without communication at times," CNN reported, noting that there are concerns about "staffing shortages for controllers" and a runway's construction.

On June 2, the FAA announced that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have "completed construction of Runway 4-Left/22-Right at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)."

On May 20, the FAA issued a temporary order limiting flight arrivals and departures at Newark.

“Our goal is to relieve the substantial inconvenience to the traveling public from excessive flight delays due to construction, staffing challenges, and recent equipment issues, which magnify as they spread through the National Airspace System,” said Rocheleau in a news release at that time.

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