United Airlines Cancels Newark Flights Over FAA Staffing

[Attilatheblond]

https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/united-airlines-cancels-newark-flights-after-faa-staff-walks-out-e794b071?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1]

Edited cuz I'm an idiot and forgot to add some quotes.

United Airlines is canceling 35 daily round-trip flights from Newark, N.J., starting this weekend after a group of air-traffic controllers took leave following equipment outages.

Chief Executive Scott Kirby said Friday the decision came after Federal Aviation Administration controllers who oversee airspace surrounding Newark Liberty International Airport left their posts Monday after problems with their radar and radios. Several controllers took trauma-related leave after a similar outage last fall.

“Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” Kirby said in a message posted on United’s website.

Technology that controllers rely on to manage traffic has failed several times in the past few days. That resulted in dozens of diverted flights, hundreds of delays and cancellations, and thousands of customers with disrupted travel plans.

....

United accounts for about 75% of the New Jersey airport’s air traffic, and has plans to launch five new nonstop international flights from the hub this year. United’s Newark facilities connect travelers to 76 U.S. cities and 81 international locations.

The cancellations come after some airlines reported demand for air travel was falling toward the end of the first quarter. United offered two financial outlooks for the year, one that was the same as its prior guidance, and a lower one that accounted for a possible recession.