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In a message explaining the chaos at Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines (UAL) CEO Scott Kirby said some of the disruptions were due to more than 20% of the air traffic controllers walking off the job.
But the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the union representing air traffic controllers, is disputing that characterization. “The controllers did not ‘walk off the job’ as it has been reported by the media,” NATCA told Quartz.
Rather, the employees took leave under the Federal Employees Compensation Act after experiencing “a traumatic event on the job.”
That’s because on Monday, April 28, air traffic controllers in Area C of the Philadelphia TRACON (PHL), who separate and sequence aircraft in and out of Newark Airport, “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them,” the union said.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said the controllers lost contact with the planes for about 30 seconds. Other media reports have said it was for as long as 90 seconds.
“Now, were planes going to crash? No, they have communication devices,” he told Fox News. “They can see other air traffic like GPS in the airplanes. But it’s a sign that we have a frail system in place, and it has to be fixed.”
Duffy, a former Republican Congressman from Wisconsin and a Trump appointee, blamed the technology issues on former President Joe Biden.
“This should have been dealt with in the last administration,” he claimed. “They did nothing.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said it “cannot quickly replace” the controllers who took time off to recover from the stress. “We continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace,” it told Bloomberg. “When staffing or equipment issues occur, the FAA will ensure safety by slowing the rate of arrivals into the airport.”
On Tuesday morning, Newark Airport was still plagued by chronic delays.