A nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers is stressing the U.S. aviation network. Newark Liberty International Airport, a major East Coast hub, sits at the heart of the issue. The airport is currently facing serious staffing shortages and technological failures, which cause ripple effects throughout the system that even reach smaller regional airports like State College Regional Airport. 

There have been several recent instances where Newark air traffic control radar and audio communications went silent for an extended period of time. According to The New York Times, this “upended travel at the airport, leaving controllers unable to communicate with pilots and keep planes from crashing into one another.”

Clearly, this raises safety concerns for the flying public. There are a variety of perspectives from passengers, some of whom may decide to avoid air travel altogether, and others who remain confident in the measures being taken.

Lynn Franklin,  a State College community member and a frequent traveler out of Newark Liberty Airport, shared her thoughts on safety protocols. 

“I’m not really concerned about safety, because I feel that if there were an extreme concern with it, they would not allow flights out of the airport. I know they’ve taken measures to cancel flights and to decrease the number of planes taking off and landing at the airport… If I were truly concerned, I would drive,” Franklin said.

The New York Times also reported that, “Several controllers working that afternoon were distressed by that episode and took time off, which resulted in several days of low staffing at the facility, causing widespread flight delays and cancellations.”

Airlines have encouraged passengers to consider making changes to their travel plans in an attempt to minimize disruption. Franklin explained how this will impact her family’s upcoming departure from Newark this month.

“Actually, I have a flight leaving in late May. It was scheduled to leave at 10 AM. I have switched my flight to leave at 6 AM instead, with a better chance of getting to my destination on time,” Franklin said.

State College Regional Airport, which opened its air traffic control center in September of 2011, is one of the many small airports that route flights to major hubs like Newark. Both staffing shortages and technology disruptions lead to flight delays because a smaller number of planes can arrive and depart each hour than scheduled. When a hub faces these troubles, it creates impacts across the system.

At small airports such as State College, planes may receive ground stop orders. This means that inbound planes are held from taking off to limit air traffic coming into an overloaded airport. Sometimes this lasts for hours. When planes are delayed significantly, air travelers can miss their connecting flights. As a result, their travel plans are severely disrupted. They may be forced to rebook on another flight that could be several days away.

Sophomore Ella Gourley offered her thoughts about departing from State College’s airport.

“I am going to Florida this summer and will be flying out of State College airport, and I have heard about the air traffic controller shortages, and that did worry me a bit because it could end up affecting my flight in some way, especially because I will be using such a small airport,” Gourley said.

The New York Times states, “Ninety-nine percent of the air traffic control facilities in the United States are operating below recommended staffing levels.”

The Federal Aviation Administration employs 14,000 air traffic controllers, but experts estimate that the system needs at least 3,000 more to be fully staffed. Officials say that it could take 3 to 4 years to meet the demand. Several solutions are being proposed for an overworked and understaffed industry. One focus is on controller recruitment and retention programs.

AP news states, “The [Trump] administration wants to ‘supercharge’ the controller workforce and announced a program last week to speed up hiring and give existing controllers more money not to retire early.”

Despite the recent string of air traffic control troubles nationally, State College benefits from having dependable and efficient air service that avoids many of the issues experienced at major airports. 

“I’ve never actually had any cancellations or delays when using State College airport, and I have been there many times. I think the size of it helps because there [are] so few planes that are less likely to be [delayed] and such related to air traffic,” Gourley said.

As the busy summer travel season quickly approaches, air traffic control staffing and its outdated technology will continue to be at the forefront of the news cycle for months to come.