Hundreds of flights into Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday dealt with delays as a result of continued staffing issues.
A day after air traffic staffing issues delayed and canceled some flights into Newark, passengers faced more delays to start the Thanksgiving workweek, as some sought to get an early start on holiday travel.
A ground delay went into effect around 12:30 p.m. Monday and was scheduled to last until midnight, according to the FAA's website. Into the evening, the average delay was listed as 95 minutes with the longest delay listed as nearly three hours at 165 minutes.
There were nearly 300 flight delays in all, mostly for planes arriving at Newark.
EWR Due to FAA staffing issues, travelers may experience flight delays. Check flight status and allow extra time at the airport.
— Newark Liberty International Airport (@EWRairport) November 25, 2024
In a statement to NBC New York, the FAA said, "The FAA is slowing traffic into Newark Liberty International Airport due to staffing issues at the Philadelphia TRACON (PHL)." Some of Newark's air traffic controllers are based in Philadelphia, explaining why the staffing shortages would impact the airport that is closer to New York City.
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The Port Authority told NBC New York "these delays are impacting flights headed TO Newark Liberty due to staffing issues."
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The airport encouraged passengers to check with their airline for their flight status.
It was not the first time in recent days passengers departing from or arriving to Newark Airport have faced delays from air traffic staffing issues. The airport posted about staffing issues delaying flights on Nov. 16, 17, 22 and 23.
The delays come as the TSA says it is expecting this week to be the busiest air travel season on record.
As for the other NYC-area airports, both JFK and LaGuardia reported delays as well, but not not nearly as many, about 150 combined between the two Queens hubs.
There is, however, another issue that could impact travelers at JFK Airport: construction from the nation's biggest infrastructure project that could lead to traffic backups. The project includes $19 billion in renovations. Some of the first gates at Terminal 1 — which will become the largest single terminal in the U.S., twice the size of Terminal B at LaGuardia — are set to open in 2026, with the whole projected aiming to be completed by 2030.
With that work comes road closures and changes, leading to cars being re-routed on the six miles of roads at the airport.
