United Airlines Cancels Newark Flights After FAA Staff Walkout

United Airlines said Friday it is canceling 35 round-trip flights out of Newark Liberty International Airport a day following a walkout of air traffic controllers 

“It's disappointing to make further cuts to an already reduced schedule at Newark, but since there is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues, we feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers,” United CEO Scott Kirby wrote in a letter to customers on Friday. 

The cuts account for 10% of United’s daily flights out of Newark and will start this weekend. 

Kirby said technology issues at Newark over the past few days had already caused flight disruptions, but those disruptions were compounded when 20% of air traffic controllers for Newark walked off the job. 

He added that the Federal Aviation Administration said that Newark cannot handle the number of planes scheduled to operate in the weeks and months ahead. An FAA advisory said that Newark is facing delays due to staffing issues. Kirby said the facility had been "chronically understaffed for years."

According to flight tracking site FlightAware, 34% of flights out of Newark are currently delayed. 

The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The National Association of Air Traffic Controllers declined to comment.

United Wants Slot Constraints at Newark

Kirby said United has been lobbying the federal government to limit the number of flights out of Newark, asking for slot constraints like those at LaGuardia Airport and Reagan National. Newark is one of the most congested airports in the U.S., and has often faced delays and disruptions as a result. 

On Thursday, the Department of Transportation presented a slate of initiatives to fix the air traffic control system, which include offering financial incentives to recruit and train air traffic controllers. 

The airline industry has faced an acute air traffic controller shortage, which was exacerbated by the pandemic. Outdated technology has also become a concern following a nationwide system outage in 2023. 

The United CEO said he spoke with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday and was pleased with the Trump administration’s proposal to fill in the air traffic controller shortage. 

The DOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.