(The Hill) — Jonathan Stewart, an experienced air traffic controller, assured the public in a recent TV appearance that flying remains safe, though he suggested avoiding Newark Liberty International Airport for now.
“Flying is safe. However, I would steer clear of Newark until improvements are made,” remarked Stewart, who is a supervisory air traffic controller, during his appearance on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Friday night.
Stewart’s comments come as Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey faces challenges such as communication blackouts and a shortage of staff, raising concerns among travelers and officials. Being one of the major airports close to New York City, it experienced at least two radar outages this month, highlighting the need for updated technology and a sufficient number of air traffic controllers.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this week that 16 new air traffic controllers were placed in training to boost staffing figures. The workers were moved to the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), where Newark airport’s operations are situated. Additionally, he said a new runway would be opened at the airport soon to combat congestion.
“The concrete has been laid. I think they’re just striping. They are just striping right now,” Duffy told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday. “We have a target date of June 15 of bringing the runway online.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said earlier this month it would slash the number of flights coming in and taking off from Newark to help reduce congestion and prevent delays. Until the construction of Runway 4-Left/22-Right is completed, the number of arrivals and departures will be limited to 28 per hour.
President Trump and Duffy have vowed to overhaul the FAA, including launching a new program to promote the recruitment and retention of air traffic controllers and investing in more modern technology.
Stewart outlined the stress and the responsibilities that air traffic controllers deal with daily while on the job and detailed a near incident on May 4 where two planes nearly collided.
“So, what led to that incident was basically fatigue in general, and that was due to a lack of staffing,” the air traffic controller said on Friday. “I was using a combination of non-radar and radar rules, which is a completely different way of doing things than I’m used to doing normally.”
Stewart noted that because he knew the radar would eventually go out — though he did not know the exact timing — he started writing down planes’ flight data and call signs
“It’s like knowing you’re going to get into a car wreck. You just don’t know when, so you better keep your seatbelt on just to, you know, be safe,” Steward told host Elizabeth Vargas.
The air traffic controller said the FAA does not need more managers, but more leadership from the “top.”
“So, there’s an old saying to the military, which is, ‘lead, follow or get out of the way.’” Stewart said. “So, somebody needs to do something.”
His words come after Duffy also admitted that he once changed his wife’s ticket to avoid Newark — citing delays, not safety issues.
