Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Newark airport is slated for multiple upgrades after two communication blackouts in May caused high-profile disruptions for pilots and passengers.
He said officials have been working since late April to address safety concerns while placing 16 new air traffic controllers in training to increase staffing numbers.
The controllers were moved from other airspaces to the Philly Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), where Newark airport operations are currently based. Duffy said they will need to be certified before directing on-site traffic.
In addition to increasing manpower, Duffy said a new runway would soon be opened at the New Jersey airport, which he said would streamline travel.
“The concrete has been laid. I think they’re just striping. They are just striping right now. We have a target date of June 15 of bringing the runway online,” he told reporters during a Wednesday presser.
Verizon, which signed a $2.4 billion, 15-year contract with the Federal Aviation Administration to design, build and operate its communication services, has also made updates to the Newark airport’s operations.
“Verizon has laid a brand new fiber line between Philadelphia and New York… I don’t want to over promise and under deliver, but if everything goes well, and there can be problems when you test the line, but if it all goes well, we should be able to turn over to this new fiber line at the start of July,” Duffy said Wednesday.
“After that, we’re going to work on the second line that goes from New York to Newark. We haven’t had issues with that line, but one of the lines is still copper. We’re going to put a new fiber line in,” he added.
The Transportation secretary said officials will consider increasing Newark’s flight capacity once functions at the airport return to normal.
