White House proposes major overhaul of air traffic control system amid Newark Liberty delays

Travelers who spoke with News 12 Thursday say that they simply want to get where they need to go safely and on time.

Jim Murdoch

May 8, 2025, 5:51 PM

Updated 13 min ago

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday announced plans for a major upgrade to the nation's air traffic control system amid ongoing delays at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Travelers who spoke with News 12 today say that they simply want to get where they need to go safely and on time. Duffy says it will take billions of dollars of improvements to make this possible.
“What are they doing to fix it? To fix the delays and how quick is it going to be fixed? Nobody wants to stand in an airport all day for delays. So how quick?” asked Angelique Fernandez, of The Bronx.
Duffy says he wants these improvements in place in the next four years.
"If we don't actually accomplish the mission that we're announcing today, you'll see Newarks - not just in Newark - but you'll see ‘Newarks’ in other parts of the country because it's an aging system. so we have to upgrade it,” said Duffy.
Newark Liberty’s nearly minute-long communication blackout is just one of a number of high profile incidents plaguing air travel - from the mid-air collision in Washington, D.C., to other numerous near misses and mounting delays.
Specifically, Duffy announced 25,000 new radios for air traffic tower personnel, hundreds of new ground and weather radars and fully replacing more than 4,600 air traffic control sites.
Duffy said he wants this completed within four years, which means asking Congress for the billions of dollars this will cost upfront. Estimated numbers thrown around this week totaled $12.5 billion.
Flyers tell News 12 that they don’t care what it takes, but just get it done.
“I want to hear better improvements, better accountability for everything going on. Like the delays and just really immediate action, because it's been ridiculous,” said Aaron Hill of Morristown, New Jersey. “Probably going to be here for another couple weeks or so. We need some immediate improvements and some closure.”
United Airlines is still canceling dozens of flights daily at Newark Liberty International Airport because of the air traffic controller and runway issues.