Passengers traveling through Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday were confronted with cancellations and hourslong delays as disruptions to air traffic there extended into a second week.
Low clouds on Monday prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to pause departures of planes heading to Newark, leading to delays averaging four hours and exacerbating the travel chaos at one of the nation’s busiest airports. More than 200 flights into and out of Newark had been delayed on Monday morning, according to the tracking site FlightAware.
Major flight disruptions started early last week, when the Philadelphia air traffic control center experienced equipment failures and staffing issues, the F.A.A. said. It came as one of Newark’s three runways has been closed for construction and as air traffic control centers nationwide have experienced staffing shortages. United said last week that it was forced to cut 35 round-trip flights per day from its Newark schedule.
The scene at the main United terminal at Newark on Monday was relatively calm, but travelers whose flights had been canceled expressed frustration with being directed to online customer service agents.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York on Monday called for the Office of the Inspector General to investigate the problems at Newark, saying a “real forensic look” into safety issues and outdated technology was needed.
“To say that there is just minor turbulence at Newark Airport and the F.A.A. that would be the understatement of the year,” Mr. Schumer, the minority leader, said at a news conference. “We’re here because the F.A.A. is really a mess.”
He said the problems at Newark could be a “harbinger, if issues like these aren’t fixed.” He blamed mismanagement at the F.A.A. and cuts imposed by the Trump administration for the staffing issues, and warned that the nation’s other airports could experience similar problems if they are not addressed.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark Airport as well as Kennedy International and LaGuardia Airports in New York, said in a statement on Monday that staffing shortages at air traffic control centers were to blame.
“The Port Authority has invested billions to modernize Newark Liberty, but those improvements depend on a fully staffed and modern federal air traffic system,” the Port Authority said. “We continue to urge the F.A.A. to address ongoing staffing shortages and accelerate long-overdue technology upgrades that continue to cause delays in the nation’s busiest air corridor.”
In a statement on Friday, Scott Kirby, the chief executive of United Airlines, Newark’s largest carrier, attributed recent flight cancellations to equipment failures and air traffic controllers who had “walked off the job.”
As a result, he added, there were “dozens of diverted flights, hundreds of delayed and canceled flights and worst of all, thousands of customers with disrupted travel plans.”
About 68 percent of the more than 3,300 scheduled departures at Newark this week were sold by United, according to Cirium, an aviation data firm.
It was not clear when the staffing and construction-related delays would clear up, and bad weather was likely to contribute to the headaches for travelers at Newark as well as at the other metro-area airports.
Low clouds and rain may limit flights in and out of the region until midweek. Rain may increase in intensity on Monday, with some thunderstorms also possible. The chance of showers will linger into Wednesday.
Judson Jones, Niraj Chokshi and Mark Walker contributed reporting.
