- Radar screens went dark early Friday at an air traffic facility that guides planes around Newark.
- The outage, lasting 90 seconds, is the second since April.
- This compounds Newark's operational problems involving weather, ATC issues, and runway construction.
The problems keep piling up at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration said that an air traffic control equipment outage at the Philadelphia approach control facility, which guides aircraft in and out of Newark, occurred around 3:55 a.m. on Friday morning.
The agency said it affected communications and radar displays for "approximately 90 seconds."
This is the facility's second outage since April 28, when screens went dark for 60 to 90 seconds and prevented controllers from talking to aircraft.
The issues, coupled with weather and runway construction, have caused hundreds of delays and cancellations at the airport for nearly two weeks.
United CEO Scott Kirby has called on the government to designate Newark as a "Level 3" airport. This would mean it would run on a slot system that limits the number of planes that can take off and land at certain times to manage capacity.
The airline, which holds the largest market share at Newark, has already suspended 35 daily flights to deal with the overcapacity and compounding air traffic problems.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
