Newark International Airport (EWR) has been in the news over the past several months, and not in a good way. The airport has struggled with operational issues, with the situation being the worst in the late spring and early summer.
This was due to a combination of factors, including runway construction, a shortage of air traffic controllers, and technological issues. So far, we’ve seen the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limit flights at the airport through the end of 2025. There’s now a plan to extend that through late 2026, and that has major implications for airlines.
In this post:
Newark Airport could see flight cap through late 2026
Currently, the FAA has a policy in place to reduce the flight arrival and departure rate at Newark Airport through December 31, 2025. The FAA is now proposing extending restrictions through the end of the summer 2026 IATA season, which is through October 24, 2026. Specifically:
- While runway construction takes places (typically Saturdays through the end of the year), Newark is currently limited to 28 flight arrivals and 28 flight departures per hour
- Outside of runway construction periods, Newark is currently limited to 34 flight arrivals and 34 flight departures per hour
- The FAA is now proposing a limit of 36 flight arrivals and 36 flight departures per hour between January 1 and October 24, 2026
For context, historically Newark has seen up to 40(ish) flight arrivals and departures per hour, so 36 movements per hour would be an increase over the current cap, but still represent a reduction over the standard cap. As the FAA describes this:
While the FAA continues to address the staffing challenges at EWR and evaluate longterm options for EWR, the FAA tentatively intends to extend and amend the June 2025 order to mitigate congestion, delays, and cancellations at EWR for the Winter 2025/2026 and Summer 2026 scheduling seasons.
Since the June 2025 order took effect, the status of the staffing pipeline for PHL has not materially changed. In the absence of the FAA’s extension of the order, the FAA anticipates a return of the staffing-related delays that precipitated the voluntary schedule reductions reflected in the June 2025 order.
As you can see, the reason for the continued reduction in flights is due to a lack of air traffic control staffing. How bad is the staffing issue?
Presently, PHL’s targeted staffing number remains 114 Certified Professional Controllers (CPCs); the current onboard number at PHL is 82, representing 71.9 percent staffed. Within PHL, Area C’s targeted staffing number is 46 CPCs, with its current staff of 22 CPCs representing 48 percent staffed. Under an arrangement by the previous administration, by the end of July 2026, 14 CPCs currently assigned to Area C will return to the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control facility (N90), which previously oversaw the Newark area. ATO is taking action to replace those 14 CPCs. PHL now has a total of 31 trainees, with 26 assigned to Area C.
For those curious about the reference to Philadelphia (PHL), it’s because Newark approach is staffed from there, which was supposed to be a solution to many of Newark’s problems a while back (though that didn’t end up being the case).
These seem like sensible but sad capacity cuts
Unfortunately I think extending these capacity cuts at Newark Airport is necessary, given the reality of what we’ve seen in recent months. It’s more important for airlines to be able to operate reliably, rather than just scheduling as many total flights as possible, even if they can’t actually operate on-time.
So while I think the change is sensible, it’s also sad. You have one of the two international airports serving one of the most important cities in the United States being artificially capacity constrained because we don’t have enough air traffic controllers. If that doesn’t reflect the neglect our air traffic control system has seen for years, then I don’t know what does.
United is obviously most impacted by these changes, given that the carrier has a fortress hub at Newark. So, how do we think executives at the airline feel about these capacity cuts? They’re probably very happy:
- For one, it’s important to United that the airline can operate reliably out of Newark, since the airline doesn’t want Newark to be in the news every other day for a meltdown; we know United’s Q2 2025 financial results took a hit because of the Newark miss
- By further limiting capacity, United will have even more of a dominant position in the market, and will have more pricing power; it’s good to be the dominant airline at an airport where competitors can’t add capacity
Bottom line
The FAA plans to extend flight cuts at Newark Airport all the way through late October 2026, in light of ongoing air traffic control issues. We saw the situation at Newark get really bad in late spring, due to a combination of runway construction, air traffic control shortages, and technological issues.
While it’s sad that we’re at the point where we have to restrict airport operations due to a lack of staffing, this ultimately seems logical enough, since smooth operations should be the priority. I’m sure United is happy to see this, given the pricing power that it’ll give the airline out of Newark, plus the ability to keep out competitors.
What do you make of these Newark flight cut extensions?
I don't see how this is possibly a positive for UA. Few people want to specifically fly to EWR, and if UA raises prices, most consumers will choose a competitor that lands inside the city.
All I can hear is Scott Kirby drooling over b6’s JFK slots while he was reading the news.
Just another in a long list of reasons to avoid major U.S. airports.
…. and airlines too Northern? …. :-)
Beyond the specifics of the EWR problem, the big problem is the unwillingness of the political establishment to address the underlying issue. Once stripped of the "fraud, waste, and abuse" bs, the problem is that we are cutting taxes, creating soaring deficits. We are increasing military spending and swearing that we won't cut most of the major entitlement programs. As a result, the necessary infrastructure like ATC is starved of funding and is living off...
Beyond the specifics of the EWR problem, the big problem is the unwillingness of the political establishment to address the underlying issue. Once stripped of the "fraud, waste, and abuse" bs, the problem is that we are cutting taxes, creating soaring deficits. We are increasing military spending and swearing that we won't cut most of the major entitlement programs. As a result, the necessary infrastructure like ATC is starved of funding and is living off depreciation. Good luck to us all.
actually, Keith, whether you like the big beautiful bill or not, it contains one of, if not the highest amounts the FAA has ever received at one time for system modernization.
and the FAA artificially choked off the flow of new controllers by focusing on the wrong reasons to hire people.
The FAA needs new equipment and more people. I don't know of any administration in decades that has committed as much as is happening now.
It’s funny how motivated politicians become when there is a midair outside their office windows.
The EWR capacity cuts are the direct result of UA's overscheduling of EWR for decades and CO before.
UA controls 65% or more of flights from EWR and has as long as they operated the hub - just as CO did before.
UA could have fixed the poor on-time at EWR via less overscheduling any time they wanted.
Scott Kirby trashed the DOT and FAA for its handling of the ATC transfer and the DOT's...
The EWR capacity cuts are the direct result of UA's overscheduling of EWR for decades and CO before.
UA controls 65% or more of flights from EWR and has as long as they operated the hub - just as CO did before.
UA could have fixed the poor on-time at EWR via less overscheduling any time they wanted.
Scott Kirby trashed the DOT and FAA for its handling of the ATC transfer and the DOT's response was to cut capacity for all carriers at EWR via private proposals; Kirby demanded slot controls be returned and EWR is not more heavily schedule coordinated than it was before but not slot controlled.
The schedule caps at EWR have cost UA heavily in market share.
For the month of June (which included part of the closure of one of EWR’s runways), EWR’s on-time for domestic flights was 68.2% while LGA was at 80% and JFK was above that. So far, there has been no improvement of on-time. EWR still has more hours of ATC delays than LGA or JFK, all of which have had above average levels of ATC delays this summer.
The capacity cuts have allowed DL to handedly become the largest airline from NYC – serving all 3 airports. UA carries more international passengers but DL carries 1/3 more domestic passengers; guess which part is more important for corporate travel?
For June, DL operated 37% more flights from NYC's THREE airports than UA. DL carried 11% more total passengers and 28% more domestic passengers.
UA can spin it any way they want but the notion that they are happy with the capacity cuts is simply not in line with actual data.
EWR on-time is not better and, even if it will be eventually, it will be by a small percentage. NYC airports have below average on-time than the rest of the country. Being the least ugly is not a selling point.
DL's advantage in number of flights has grown even larger with the biggest advantage in domestic passengers.
UA's fans loved to talk about UA had an advantage in having the most ASMs and revenue from NYC but that is likely no longer the case with the difference in passengers carried and flights.
The irony is that Kirby negotiated the DL-USAirways DCA/LGA slot swap almost 15 years ago which gave DL a large advantage at LGA and JFK and DL's NYC strategy has now beat Kirby once again, overtaking UA which not only doesn't serve JFK but which touted EWR as a single airport hub for NYC which clearly no single NYC airport can be.
We know that Tim, we also know your fluff along with it.
You've been repeating this 9 paragraphs for almost a year now.
Also well known Eskimo, is that whatever Tim Dunn posts, you will troll him for doing so. You are becoming equally as obsessed with Tim as that Plain Jane and Julie were. Are you so inclined old bean? …. :-)
Timmy D pleasures himself to the PANYNJ dashboard
and you would like to pretend it doesn't exist.
It reflects decisions that each company made and the capacity of those airports to handle the traffic.
As much as some want to spin it otherwise, EWR was never capable of handling the amount of traffic that CO or UA has pushed through it for decades.
CO and UA's share has not degraded but they wouldn't cut down to more realistic schedules because they...
and you would like to pretend it doesn't exist.
It reflects decisions that each company made and the capacity of those airports to handle the traffic.
As much as some want to spin it otherwise, EWR was never capable of handling the amount of traffic that CO or UA has pushed through it for decades.
CO and UA's share has not degraded but they wouldn't cut down to more realistic schedules because they were interested in their NYC share.
There is no rational person that can believe that UA is happy about having 10% or more of their EWR flights cut.
and let's also keep in mind that DL is using more JFK slots than it was allocated because the FAA allows carriers to use slots which are not being used by the carriers to whom they have been allocated.
For years, we heard that UA had the best NYC strategy and that has been proven to be wrong with the icing on the cake coming this year.
not tim with his usual mental derangement...
Aren't you enough of a joke already without trying?
"The DSM-V defines a delusion as a firmly-held, fixed, false belief that's not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. "Clinically, someone who is delusional carries [at least] one of these false, immutable beliefs," says Emily Green, PsyD, a psychologist based in Washington DC.
I find your comments lovely to read as they make my day, but really, maybe you take things a little too far for your wife (DL).
the only emotional fixation is with those that can't accept that UA's single airport NYC hub strategy has not proven to be the superior NYC strategy and yet we have heard for years how UA had such an advantage - until, clearly, they don't.
UA ran EWR way too hot for years and anyone remotely objective could see it.
The inevitable has now happened. The only people that can argue the capacity cuts are good...
the only emotional fixation is with those that can't accept that UA's single airport NYC hub strategy has not proven to be the superior NYC strategy and yet we have heard for years how UA had such an advantage - until, clearly, they don't.
UA ran EWR way too hot for years and anyone remotely objective could see it.
The inevitable has now happened. The only people that can argue the capacity cuts are good are those that were never able to admit that EWR was overscheduled for years - all because of CO and UA - and that lambasting the FAA and DDT for operational failures was never a good idea even if they held some responsibility.
and, yes, DL's 2 airport NYC hub strategy now allows significantly more flights than anyone else.
lol. flights that Delta can't sustain so they fly to Albany with them. Stop sounding so dumb
You're embarrassing yourself today
Which by the way - shows that the gap between the two narrowed in June vs. May when most of this drama was at its peak.
Shocking how his (mis)stating of facts from that dashboard isn't as loud anymore...
The value of adequately funding something doesn't become apparent until something goes wrong. Like other vital infrastructure services, Air traffic control needs to be adequately funded.
LGA is also international, albeit with a smaller footprint (Canada and Caribbean).
Also Bahamas and TCS (which are not in the Caribbean).
Kirby's groveling supplicant routine is yielding returns!
The EWR ATC fiasco is exemplary of everything that is wrong with America's creaky, aging, outdated infrastructure. EWR simply cannot handle the volume of traffic that it did prior to the reductions and absent a miracle, it will likely be a permanent reduction. The silver lining is that outside of weather, which seems to impact EWR a lot more than LGA and JFK operations, UA can run on time at EWR for the most part.
ATC upgrades cannot create more runway capacity.
UA has overscheduled EWR for decades and CO did it before them.
weather IS the key reason why all airports have delays and NYC is far from exempt from weather.
the intricately connected NYC airspace does make ATC more complicated and ATC upgrades could help increase capacity for NYC as a whole but other NYC airports would also benefit. and all of that is years down the runway.
Ben - any perspective on the flip side of two things you’ve highlighted? Aka financial impact of the raw capacity cuts United will have to make as result of these restrictions? Thanks!
Your FAA quote references PHL several times. Typo?
@ Barb -- Sorry for the confusion. It's not a typo, it's because Newark approach is staffed remotely from Philadelphia, which is why staffing there is relevant.