In an ongoing exercise of federal oversight, the Federal Aviation Administration formally extended its order limiting arrivals and departures at Newark Liberty International Airport through late October 24 of next year, raising the current cap from 68 to 72 operations per hour.
The move underscores the deep structural strains facing Newark’s air traffic control and tests United Airlines’ claims of a comeback at its Northeast hub.
The FAA’s decision flows from chronic air traffic controller shortages and capacity constraints in the New York-area airspace, Reuters reports. Though the hourly cap was nudged upward from 68 to 72, it remains well below pre-May levels when Newark routinely handled 80 or more combined arrivals and departures.
In its public statement, the FAA framed the extension as “necessary to make airport operations more efficient and reduce delays for the traveling public” while managing safety margins.
United’s leadership publicly backed the FAA’s extension while framing it as a pathway to operational certainty at Newark.
“The reduced operations, along with continued focus on technology upgrades and ATC staffing increases, are critical milestones toward Newark’s long-term operational certainty,” an airline representative said in a statement.
United CEO Scott Kirby has previously advocated for slot controls at the airport to reduce congestion and appeared supportive this week of the latest FAA decision on Newark.
“Thanks to [U.S. Department of Transportation] Secretary [Sean] Duffy and [FAA] Administrator [Bryan] Bedford for their leadership in finalizing these capacity reductions for the upcoming seasons—Newark is running better than ever and operating at a level on par with the other major New York City area airports,” Scott said in a prepared statement. “Now that airline schedules match the actual capacity at EWR, things will only get better as we head into the fall and winter seasons and we look forward to continuing to work with DOT and FAA on a long-term solution to manage the airport’s capacity.
United’s Earlier Optimism Faces New Reality
Just a few days ago, United trumpeted its “best operational summer ever” at Newark, claiming the hub was now on par with JFK and LaGuardia in on-time performance. The carrier touted more than six million punctual arrivals through Newark and announced plans to expand service to more than 160 destinations from the airport this fall and winter.
That earlier narrative of resurgence is now tempered by the FAA’s decision. The extension of caps through 2026 constrains United’s ability to grow in Newark and forces a recalibration of how aggressively it can scale operations under external limits.
What This Means for Travel Advisors & Airlines
- Limited growth headroom: With caps now locked through 2026, airlines (especially United) must prioritize which routes and frequencies remain viable in Newark’s constrained environment.
- Pressure on alternative hubs: United and other Newark airlines may accelerate diversification of its East Coast operations to less constrained airports to meet demand or absorb spillover traffic.
- Technology & staffing as battlegrounds: The FAA is under pressure to recruit controllers, modernize systems, and upgrade resilience in Newark-linked facilities.
- Uncertainty for advisors: Travel advisors will need to stay sharply abreast of schedule shifts, cancellations, and rate volatility around Newark routing, particularly during engineered peak periods.
In sum, the FAA’s extension signals that Newark is likely to remain a tightly controlled asset for years, rather than a freely expanding hub—making careful network planning, capacity discipline, and operational resilience all the more critical.
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