May 20 (UPI) -- The Newark airport task force is discussing solutions to communications issues that grounded multiple flights over the past month while the air traffic industry struggles with shortages.
The Federal Aviation Administration's newly-formed task force with representatives from Verizon and L3Harris convened its first meeting last week. It is responding to at least three incidents in which air traffic controllers for Newark Liberty International Airport lost their primary communication lines with aircrafts in flight.
The FAA reports that low staffing levels and low training success are contributing factors to congestion and flight delays at the airport. It held meetings with airlines from Wednesday through Friday.
From the meeting, several solutions were proposed to address congestion and flight delays. The FAA proposed a maximum arrival and departure rate of 28 aircraft per hour until the construction of another runway is complete. When that is complete, it recommends a maximum arrival rate of 34 aircraft per hour until Oct. 25.
The FAA is adding additional telecommunications connections between New York's Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System and Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control Area C. It is also replacing copper telecommunications lines with fiberoptic lines which have greater bandwidth and speed.
