Newark Airport's Repeated Radar Outages Raise Safety Fears

Newark Airport Suffers Third Radar Outage in Two Weeks Newark Liberty International Airport experienced its third radar outage in under two weeks on Friday, May 9th, 2025. The incident, lasting 90 seconds, caused significant disruption to air traffic control, raising serious safety concerns. The FAA is investigating the cause of the repeated failures. "Our scopes just went black again," an air traffic controller is heard saying on an audio recording included in the ABC7 News report. This highlights the immediate danger posed by such outages. The controller's subsequent warning to an incoming FlexJet 651 about potential communication loss underscores the gravity of the situation. The jet was guided to maintain a safe altitude until contact was re-established. Thousands of flight delays and cancellations resulted from these outages, inconveniencing countless passengers. The White House has expressed hope for a swift resolution by the end of summer. However, the recurring nature of these failures necessitates immediate action to prevent future incidents and ensure passenger safety. The FAA is working to identify and address the underlying causes of these system failures to prevent further disruptions and potential accidents.