Duffy Criticizes Biden Administration Over Airport Issues

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has expressed strong criticism of the Biden administration following recent disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport.

He noted that his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, managed a seamless transition for Newark’s airspace to the already troubled Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (Tracon), which has resulted in significant issues leading to air traffic control systems failing on both Friday and Sunday.

Duffy stated that his team is capable of implementing software updates and enabling backup data feeds to avert the catastrophic outages of radar and communication that have occurred twice in the last few weeks.

He mentioned ongoing collaboration with Verizon and L3 Harris to expedite the development of additional fiber optic data links between New York and the Philadelphia Tracon. However, this improvement is not expected until at least the end of May.

Moreover, Duffy acknowledged a setback in upgrading the Philadelphia Tracon with the latest standard terminal automation exchange system (STAR), which is utilized across major air traffic control centers in the U.S., including New York.

While the STAR system will be eventually integrated into Philadelphia, Duffy did not provide a timeline for its completion.

Additionally, Duffy plans to convene with all major airlines on Wednesday to arrange for a reduction in traffic at the New Jersey airport. Officials anticipate that arrivals will decrease to 56 per hour, down from the previous rate of 80.

“Families shouldn’t have to wait four hours for a flight that never takes off,” Duffy remarked.