US DOT Plans Audit of FAA Newark Air Traffic Control Move

Federal investigators are launching an audit into the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) 2024 decision to relocate air traffic control responsibilities for Newark Liberty International Airport from New York to Philadelphia, following a series of significant outages and ongoing delays. The move, intended to address chronic understaffing and congestion in New York City-area airspace, has been linked to two communication blackouts in April and May that left controllers temporarily unable to contact or monitor aircraft, raising safety and operational concerns. The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General will examine the FAA’s planning, risk assessment, and management of the relocation, including impacts on system redundancy, staffing, training, and flight disruptions. Recent months have seen hundreds of delays and cancellations at Newark, intensifying scrutiny over the FAA’s handling of infrastructure and operational changes. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy requested the probe amid questions about whether adequate precautions were taken to ensure telecommunications reliability. The FAA has stated it welcomes the feedback and will fully cooperate with the audit.