Starting on Thursday, United Airlines is cutting 12% of its daily flights at its Newark Liberty Airport hub. On June 17, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) agreed to a United Airlines petition for a waiver due to air traffic control staffing and airport construction issues.

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is the 14th busiest US airport, with 14.5 million enplanements in 2021. It sits in the middle of the three major New York City airports, one behind John F. Kennedy International (JFK) with 15.3 million enplanements but well ahead of LaGuardia Airport (LGA), which had 7.9 million. United Airlines will cut 50 daily domestic departures, around 12% of its more than 400 daily flights from Newark.

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Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

United has the resources it needs but is cutting flights

According to ch-aviation.com, United operates at 84% of its capacity, with 730 aircraft back in operation. Its active fleet is dominated by narrowbody aircraft, with 361 Boeing B737s and 153 Airbus A320-family aircraft. United's Boeing narrowbody fleet includes 135 B737-900ERs, 132 B737-800s, and 46 B737 MAXs. From Airbus, it has 72 A319-100s and 81 A320-200s.

Reuters reported the FAA granted the waiver because it would "help the FAA and carriers manage delays during terminal and runway construction projects." In a memo sent to employees last week, United's chief operations officer Jon Roitman said the cuts should help minimize delays and improve on-time performance. He added the cuts were made even though the company had "the planes, pilots, crews and supporting staffing necessary to fly our current Newark schedule."

"Travel demand in Newark has never been stronger and we will continue to partner with the FAA and Port Authority [of New York and New Jersey] so we can reinstate these 50 daily departures and revert to a full schedule from Newark as soon as possible."

Airline cancellations and delays in the US and worldwide have become so commonplace as to be barely newsworthy. However, this planned disruption at Newark is different, as it's not attributed to COVID-related staff shortages or airline issues. The FAA waiver acknowledges that: "ATC staffing can pose challenges during certain time periods; however, this relief is granted based on the unusual circumstances due to airport construction."

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United has a major hub at Newark Liberty, described as the most delayed airport in the US, where it operates around 70% of the flights. It has the FAA approval to continue flight cuts at Newark for the rest of the summer but told employees it hopes to reinstate the 50 daily departures as soon as possible. It added that it does not expect to change summer schedules at any of its other US hubs.

​​​​Are mass cancellations the new normal for airlines?

Reuters reported that flight disruptions across the US continued this week, with around 860 flights canceled on Sunday and more than 700 on Monday. Major airlines canceling flights included Delta Air Lines having more than 200, Republic Airways 196, United Airlines 122, and American Airlines Group sixty-two. American said its cancelations were largely due to bad weather and air traffic control initiatives designed to regulate traffic.

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American cited bad weather and ATC initiatives to regulate traffic as causes of its latest cancelations. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Hopefully, Newark's construction and ATC issues can be overcome, or at least adequate workaround solutions put in place. This summer, passengers will need to pack a lot of patience to handle the poor state of commercial aviation. But will it be enough?

Source: Reuters