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The feds are questioning the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to relocate air traffic controllers who oversee Newark’s airspace from Long Island to Philadelphia — following a series of radar blackouts and growing concerns over exhausted, short-staffed crews working 60-hour weeks.
The Department of Transportation’s Inspector General confirmed this week that it’s auditing the FAA’s 2024 decision to shift control of Newark Liberty Airport’s airspace from New York TRACON, the radar hub in Westbury, to Philadelphia’s air traffic tower after they experienced a series of radar blackouts in New Jersey.
“The FAA downplayed the safety risks,” Rep. Laura Gillen said of the relocation.
“They reported the risk of an outage is one in 11 million — and it happened twice in the year since they moved,” Gillen said — referencing two 90-second radar blackouts at Newark airport in April and May of this year.
The controversial move stripped 12 veteran controllers from TRACON, one of the nation’s busiest radar centers, and left behind what local leaders and air traffic controllers said is a facility in dire need of help.
“Staff are burnt out — and very concerned about safety and feel very strongly that those moved to Philadelphia should come back to this facility,” Gillen told reporters outside the TRACON building after touring it Tuesday.
Erick Carlo, a veteran air traffic controller with over a decade of experience, agreed that he wants to see the jobs come back to Long Island.
Carlo and Gillen, a Democrat who represents Long Island, described what is essentially a “hole” on the floor where the relocated staff used to work, and said their absence has further hindered the progress of safer air travel in one of the busiest air traffic control hubs in the country.
The FAA previously defended the move as necessary for efficiency and to address staffing shortages, but Gillen said only one additional graduate has joined the team and staffing issues remain relatively the same since the move.
On top of the staffing issues, the facility is in dire need of modern upgrades.
“It’s tough to put it into perspective,” Carlo, a representative of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association labor union, told The Post.
He described having to use radars and equipment from the 1980s and 90s at TRACON, and said that only 8% of the FAA’s facilities and equipment budget goes toward modernizing the system that millions of travelers rely on each year.
“The staffing shortages are one thing, but the equipment we use… I can’t say that the equipment is not working — it’s working — but it’s ancient,” Carlo said.
Prior to the move, if the old technology they are forced to work on had an issue, he was able to go over to Newark’s side and collaborate to ensure the skies remain safe, which is no longer an option, Carlo, who watches over JFK, explained.
The Department of Transportation audit will probe whether the plan actually backfired — compromising safety, morale, and operational continuity at one of the country’s busiest air traffic control hubs.
If the audit determines that operations are most efficient out of Long Island, then the air traffic controllers who moved from the area to Philadelphia will have to move back.
FAA officials declined to comment outside of the facility.
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