THE chief of a popular airline has issued a chilling warning to its customers about issues at a major US airport.
The executive’s warning came as an air traffic controller said the same airport was “not safe,” urging passengers to not fly into the travel hub.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby stated last Friday that Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey “cannot manage the volume of flights scheduled to operate there in the near future.”
Due to this perceived issue, United Airlines decided to cancel 35 daily round-trip flights out of Newark airport.
“We feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers,” Kirby said in a letter to United Airlines passengers.
Kirby’s announcement comes as an air traffic controller at Newark airport told NBC News’ Tom Costello, “It is not safe.”
“It is not a safe situation right now for the flying public,” he warned.
Costello recalled on MSNBC, “Really an incredible statement, unsolicited.”
“He just said that to me, and separately, ‘Don’t fly into Newark. Avoid Newark at all costs,'” the news correspondent said.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Newark airport operators for comment.
Newark airport operates an average of about 300 round-trip flights daily, per Business Insider.
Kirby detailed the issues that United Airlines sees at the New Jersey travel hub.
“The technology that FAA air traffic controllers depend on to manage flights at Newark airport broke down, causing numerous diverted flights, several delays and cancellations, and unfortunately, significant disruptions to thousands of travelers’ plans,” he mentioned.
On Monday morning, Newark airport issued a ground stop due to low ceilings, per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Low ceilings in aviation are when a cloud layer is too close to the ground.
Kirby said Newark airport’s air traffic control facility has been “chronically understaffed for years.”
He also claimed that over 20% of the travel hub’s air traffic controllers have recently “walked off the job.”
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has admitted that there are issues with the country’s air traffic control system.
“You’re starting to see cracks in the system,” he said at a news conference last week.
Duffy remarked: “It’s our responsibility to anticipate potential issues and resolve them before they lead to an incident we’d deeply regret.”
The secretary tried to entice more people to take on the difficult gig of air traffic controller by offering $5,000 bonuses for new hires.
There is currently a national shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers, according to Duffy.
