Air traffic controllers lost radar at Newark (again)—here’s why it keeps happening

Newark Liberty International Airport experienced a radar outage, leaving planes flying blind for a minute and a half. This is the second in less than two weeks, with the previous outage occurring on April 28. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) relocated part of Newark's air traffic control operations last year to Philadelphia, which appears to have caused more issues than it has solved. The FAA confirmed a telecommunications outage impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark Airport airspace. The outage is not an isolated incident, with radio contact going dark at least eight or nine times in the last few months. The FAA plans to take immediate steps to improve the situation, including staffing up air traffic control and fast-tracking technology and logistics updates. The Department of Transportation has a three-year proposal to update infrastructure, including radar, software, and telecommunications systems, which would cost tens of billions of dollars. The proposal would modernize existing technology, including an updated digital radio system, and add six new air traffic control centers. The Trump administration would need Congress to fund the overhaul, which could be a rare area of bipartisan overlap.