Port Authority officials say travelers flying out of Newark Liberty International Airport can expect fewer cancellations and shorter delays, thanks to new federal limits on flight volumes.

Under temporary rules announced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), arrivals and departures at Newark will be capped at 56 flights per hour through June 15. From June 15 to October 15, that limit will rise to 68 flights per hour, according to Sarah McKeon, the Port Authority’s aviation director. Previously, the airport handled up to 77 flights per hour.

In the past month alone, Newark experienced more than 2,000 cancellations and 7,000 delays — with an average delay time of two hours, McKeon noted.

“These disruptions impacted hundreds of thousands of passengers, largely due to decades of underinvestment by the FAA and the federal government,” she said.

McKeon added that the flight reductions should help eliminate last-minute cancellations caused by staffing shortages at the FAA, allowing travelers to better plan their trips.

She also said the changes are expected to reduce unplanned delays, improving the overall passenger experience.

During this period, the FAA will work to increase the number of air traffic controllers and update or repair outdated air traffic control systems.

Airlines are now determining how to comply with the FAA’s mandated flight reductions, McKeon said. While it’s unlikely that LaGuardia or JFK will absorb more flights due to their own capacity constraints, airlines may opt to use larger aircraft at Newark to carry more passengers per flight. Read more…

Source: MSN