Flights into Newark Liberty International Airport were halted Thursday morning after air traffic controllers temporarily lost radio communication, triggering a one-hour ground stop and delays averaging more than two hours.
The FAA confirmed controllers lost frequencies from 11:30 to 12:30 ET, prompting a sharp reduction in flight volume. Newark’s arrival rate has now been cut to 28 flights per hour through at least Friday, well below the airport’s normal 40–42 per hour.
The outage was traced to the Philadelphia air traffic control centre, which manages Newark’s airspace, and marked the second disruption in 24 hours. Controllers also reported a Wednesday evening failure that left pilots unable to hear call signs.
The latest failure adds to a string of recent technical breakdowns at Newark, including multiple radar and telecom outages since April, some lasting up to 90 seconds and forcing emergency workarounds.