Newark Liberty Airport is safe to fly, United Airlines says. Here's the latest on flight delays.
United Airlines executives are trying to reassure their customers it is safe to fly at Newark Liberty International Airport, despite widespread cancellations and air traffic control issues continuing to spark concerns.
On Tuesday afternoon, there were around 35 flight delays and that number would likely be much higher if not for the recent reductions in flights.
United CEO is optimistic situation will be better next month
Multiple passengers have said they considered switching to another airport this week because of either the delays and cancellations or safety concerns.
On Monday, United sent a video to its customers reassuring them it is safe to fly in and out of Newark Liberty. That was also the message on Tuesday morning from United executives who spoke at an unrelated event in Brooklyn.
CEO Scott Kirby said he flew into the airport on Monday and expressed optimism that capacity will improve once Newark Liberty's runway construction project is done.
"Going out with the employees, who are just excited because they know the facts, that they always keep it safe and they're running a reliable airline and they are looking forward to June 15, when the runway is finished and it's back to 100%," Kirby said.
However, a notice from the FAA shows a return to 100% may take longer than Kirby expects. The agency typically allows up to 77 flights per hour at Newark Liberty, but it has proposed a limit of 56 per hour every day until June 15. Then, the FAA wants to raise the limit to 68 per hour through Oct. 25.
The FAA also wants to keep the 56 flights per hour limit in place for part of every weekend from September through the end of the year.
All of it is expected to be hashed out Wednesday at a meeting between the U.S. Department of Transportation and airline executives.
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"There is a huge mismatch of supply and demand"
The air traffic control problems are happening at a facility in Philadelphia, where the Federal Aviation Administration relocated Newark air traffic controllers last year due to staffing concerns. Last fall, CBS News New York reported the relocation caused more than 800 Newark flight delays in the first two weeks of the move.
"This swing from Long Island to Philadelphia, we were led to believe, was a positive. At least so far, this has turned into anything but a positive. It's unacceptable," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said.
The governor said he's not convinced there is a safety issue at Newark Liberty, but is concerned about staffing.
"I don't believe, and based on I've heard no evidence to the contrary that there is a safety issue, but there is a huge mismatch supply and demand, in terms of the flights that want to take off and land at Newark versus the manpower that can support that, and that's got to get fixed," he said.
Some passengers say despite the public posturing about the airport's safety, they remain alarmed.
"I would definitely say it's a concern for everyone," passenger Antonia Troche said, adding when asked if she feels safe flying Tuesday night, "Not 100%, to be honest with you. I have to get to where I have to go."
"So many accidents lately that I'm hearing about, plane crashes and different things like that, yeah, so, obviously, [it's] a big concern. You don't wanna be hearing things like that when you're traveling," Stephen Quirke said.
