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Newark outages put spotlight on ATC reliability after N90 airspace move; FAA says telecom vendor fixes implemented
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Summary
Republican and Democratic members pressed FAA officials over equipment outages and staffing that disrupted Newark-area operations; FAA described vendor mitigation and plans for redundancy while some members questioned the decision to move airspace control to Philadelphia (N90).
Lawmakers pressed FAA officials over equipment outages that disrupted approach and communications services affecting Newark Liberty International Airport and the surrounding airspace, with committee members asking whether a May airspace change and longstanding reliance on legacy telecom links increased risk.
FAA air traffic officials told the committee intermittent telecom provider outages caused the recent Philadelphia TRACON disruptions that affected Newark operations. "They identified and investigated what the outage was, and provided the necessary mitigation to ensure that we have that system stability," ATO official Mr. McIntosh said, adding that the agency is installing a third telecommunications redundancy line and ‘‘hardening the system with a dedicated STARS line.’’ He said FAA engineers were present the same week the events occurred and Secretary Duffy visited the facility.
Rep. Nadler and others pressed for immediate steps and clearer communication to stakeholders. McIntosh said mitigations included vendor fixes and steps to move away from legacy copper lines to fiber, as well as the addition of a third redundant telecom connection so the facility would not lose service if one vendor link failed.
Several members raised the earlier decision to move the New York TRACON (N90) responsibilities to the Philadelphia facility to address a decade‑long staffing decline at N90. McIntosh defended the move as necessary to sustain a pipeline of qualified controllers and said the change allowed FAA to field more experienced trainees and a high‑fidelity training program in Philadelphia; he said the alternative was persistent degradation of service at N90.
Why it matters: Recent intermittent outages — including NOTAM disruptions and ATC equipment failures at Newark and Philadelphia facilities — led to delays and cancellations and renewed scrutiny of ATC modernization and vendor resiliency. Lawmakers demanded clear plans to prevent recurrence and timelines for infrastructure upgrades.
Committee follow‑up: The FAA promised to share vendor mitigation reports with the committee and described plans for added redundancy and infrastructure upgrades.
