Newark airport experiencing cancellations, delays once again due to staffing, construction issues

NEWARK, N.J. (WPVI) -- Newark Liberty International Airport has experienced numerous delays and cancellations this week.

Air traffic control outages and staffing limitations have contributed to some of the issues at Newark.

At times, runway construction has even had the airport down to just one takeoff and landing location.

The airport said one of its runways will be fully closed until mid-June while it is rehabilitated as part of a $121 million project.

Nearly 20% of flights leaving Newark were canceled on Thursday and more than 40% of the flights were delayed.

Departures weren't the only issue, the FAA also slowed arrivals to Newark airport as well. At one point, the average delay for arriving flights was 381 minutes -- or more than five hours.

It comes after a ground stop on Monday after equipment issues. Officials said it happened at the FAA facility in Philadelphia, but added to the delays in Newark already caused by runway construction and ATC staffing.

With the summer travel season just weeks away, the FAA has been trying to find solutions.

"You're starting to see cracks in the system and it's our job to not wait until there's a disaster, but over the horizon and fix it before there's an incident we will seriously regret," said Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.

Department of Transportation officials this week outlined a plan to widen the training pipeline for new air traffic controllers.

The agency is offering increased salaries and bonuses to delay retirement.

And for now, Newark put out a travel advisory, urging passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.