Faa Caps Flights At Newark: Here's How Many Planes Can Depart And Arrive Each Hour

Why air traffic controllers are under more pressure than ever

Inside the growing stress in U.S. air traffic control towers.

• The FAA is reducing flight capacity at Newark Liberty International Airport to alleviate congestion.
• The interim order sets a maximum hourly rate of 28 arrivals and departures during runway construction, increasing to 34 afterward.
• Recent issues at Newark include construction, staffing shortages, equipment problems, and a radio outage.

The Federal Aviation Administration is cutting the number of departures and arrivals at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), in an effort to ease congestion at the beleaguered transit hub.

The interim order issued Tuesday implements a maximum hourly departure rate of 28 arrivals and departures until construction on one of the airport’s runways is finished (daily construction is expected to wrap up on June 15 but work will continue on Saturdays through the end of the year).

The rate will increase to 34 arrivals and departures until Oct. 25 outside of the construction period. The new rules apply as of Tuesday.

“Our goal is to relieve the substantial inconvenience to the traveling public from excessive flight delays due to construction, staffing challenges, and recent equipment issues, which magnify as they spread through the National Airspace System,”  Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said in a news release.

Airlines also previously slashed flight schedules in response to the ongoing issues. United Airlines, which operates a major hub at Newark, said the reduction "will help ensure that we can safely and reliably operate the flights that remain on the schedule, which is why we proactively reduced our schedule earlier this month."

"For the first quarter of 2025 Newark was the most on-time airport in the New York area," the carrier told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. "We are confident that the decisive steps taken by Sec. Duffy, including his leadership on matching the airport’s capacity to its operational limitations, will have it back operating reliably for the benefit of our customers."

The FAA first proposed to decrease arrivals at the airport last week – significantly below its capacity – following three days of meetings with airline executives.

Newark is capable of handling 77 departures and arrivals each hour at its peak, according to a letter previously released by United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, who cited the FAA. Airlines routinely schedule more flights than that, however.

Tuesday’s announcement follows a series of incidents at the busy airport in recent weeks, most recently a roughly two-second radio outage at the Philadelphia facility that handles traffic in and out of Newark on May 19. The FAA previously said it is investigating the incident.

Delays and cancellations have plagued the airport since the first outage on April 28, when air traffic controllers lost radar and communications with aircraft. Some air traffic controllers took medical trauma leave in the aftermath.

The events have increased scrutiny on the FAA and U.S. air traffic control, which experts have said is suffering from longtime underinvestment with outdated equipment and insufficient staffing. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has pledged to increase hiring and improve technology.

Contributing: Zach Wichter, USA TODAY

This story was updated to add new information.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.