For some travelers, Newark Liberty International Airport has become a flightless zone.

Passengers were shocked by reports of lost radio and radar contact with the plane and frustrated by the biggest flight delays, with the average number of travelers in Newark, New Jersey, down by as much as 20% compared to the second week of last May 2024.

Meanwhile, data show that the average daily traveler count at Laguardia Airport in New York increased by 16% during the same period, from 36,367 in 2024 to 42,037 this year.

Data shows that the average daily traveler count at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City increased slightly, from 96,392 in 2024 to 97,061 in the second week of May this year.

The Federal Aviation Administration predicts that flights over Memorial Day weekend will be higher than the average, reaching 54,000 flights on Thursday.

"We expect flight numbers to grow weekly throughout the summer, with peaking at the end of July and over 54,000 flights over six days before the end of August," the FAA said in a statement. "Thursday will be the busiest day of the week."

But in Newark, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed to reduce the number of arrivals and departures after air traffic problems, causing the controller to lose radio and radar contact with the aircraft that guided 90 seconds on April 28.

"There is a structure of how many flights you can leave per hour. Our departure schedule is delayed." "You will see a reduction."

The FAA said the reduction was effective through a temporary order: until the construction of the 4-left/22-minute right runway is completed, the maximum hourly rate will be 28 arrivals and 28 departures. Daily construction will end on June 15 but will continue until the end of the year on Saturday.

Outside the construction period, a 34-hour arrival and departure time will be allowed until October 25.

"Due to construction, staffing challenges and recent equipment issues, the substantial inconvenience of traveling public through excessive flight delays, which will amplify when they spread through the national airspace system," Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said in a statement.

The agency added that depending on the conditions, arrival and departure restrictions can be higher or lower.

United, which has a hub in Newark, will be the most affected airline, Duffy said. "They are Newark's biggest players," he said.

Manchester United did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, it volunteered to go from Newark In addition to the lack of controllers, ongoing runway construction has also led to flight delays.

The percentage of cancellations has dropped significantly since Daffey announced last week that the FAA and major airlines are talking about reducing the number of flights in Newark.

Newark's share of national cancellations has hovered between 35% and 60% for most of last week, according to Flightaware. But on Friday, the number of cancellations was 15%, and on Saturday it fell to 9%.

Although Duffy said there was no danger of any plane crashing or crashing when the controller's radio stations and radar fell on April 28, several controllers working that day experienced trauma leave, further reducing the already exhausted controller rankings that could be used for work that could be used to work in the busy sky of New Jersey.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said there should be 38 certified controllers serving Newark. Currently, there are only 22.

Unfortunately continues to plague the aging system. Newark, which is actually located in Philadelphia, has led the plane for 2 seconds at around 11:35 a.m. Monday, losing its radio frequency.

No planes are in danger of collision, the FAA said it is investigating.

"Flight is absolutely safe," Nick Daniels, president of the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers, said in an interview Tuesday.

But when asked if it might be the summer travel dilemma at Newark Airport, Daniels said: “I think the point is that it will get better soon” and that the shortage of air traffic controllers is a national issue.

"Currently, we operate a system with 10,800 hard-working American men and women," Daniels said. "But we should have 14,663 very systematic employees."

He said many controllers are working six weeks and 10-hour shifts.

“When you deal with the pressure and reviews that are going on in the aviation system, morale is now low and there is less staffing at each facility,” Daniels said.

Last month, Duffy said he hopes the FAA will meet its goal of graduating 2,000 new air traffic controllers this year, but warned that the long-term controller shortage will take years to resolve.

But he also got a bipartisan turnaround from lawmakers, who noted that the April SNAFU happened after the Trump administration fired hundreds of FAA workers, including maintenance mechanics, aviation information personnel and environmental protection experts, to narrow the federal government’s efforts.