Newark Airport Issues Ground Stop amid Staffing Issues for 2nd Time in 1 Week, Leaving Travelers Scrambling

Flights bound for New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport were temporarily halted over the weekend — marking the second time in one week that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop at the airport.

According to an ATCSCC (FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center) advisory issued on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 2, the FAA temporarily halted departures bound for Newark.

At around 9 a.m. local time, the ground stop was changed to a ground delay program, which is set to run through 12:59 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 3.

According to FOX 5 New York and ABC 7 New York, the delay will require flights departing from major regional air traffic centers — including all flights from the contiguous U.S. and Canada bound for Newark — to hold or delay their departures based on assigned slots.

In its advisory, the FAA wrote that the reason for the stop was a staffing shortage in the control tower, and the average delay time was 116 minutes, with a maximum delay of 212 minutes.

NYC Emergency Management wrote in a statement shared on X that “arrivals are being limited to as few as 20 planes per hour through this afternoon, with higher rates later tonight.”

“FAA planning notes show a possibility of a full ground stop later if staffing shortages or demand increases,” the agency said.

“Flights headed to Newark may be held on the ground at their origin airports, and departures from Newark may be delayed because gates stay occupied when arrivals are backed up,” the agency added.

The FAA issues temporary ground stops to halt or restrict flights headed to a specific airport. Planes bound for that airport remain at their origin airport until the FAA clears them to fly. The program is meant to manage air traffic when the airport is facing unsafe or inefficient conditions, such as staffing shortages, severe weather, runway closures or equipment issues.

FOX 5 New York reported that the status of the ground delay could likely change as a new shift of staff members report to work in New Jersey.

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“Delays at EWR often spread to JFK and LaGuardia so travelers flying to, from, or through NYC should expect schedule changes, gate holds, and missed connections,” Emergency Management advised. “Anyone flying today should check flight status before heading to the airport and expect longer waits.”

This delay marks the second time this week that Newark has been shut down amid staffing issues. On Oct. 29, a ground stop was issued, and delays lasted nearly 90 minutes, per NBC New York.

The staffing shortages come amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.

The shutdown began on Oct. 1, after Congress came to a standstill on passing a spending bill that would finance the government beyond Sept. 30.

Some nonessential federal agencies that rely on congressional funding have been put on hold, and thousands of federal workers have been furloughed without pay — including air traffic controllers — until Congress can agree on a plan to fund the government.

Amid disagreements on how federal funding should be allocated, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans failed to change the minds of Democrats, who held the line on their demands for the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) tax credits.

On Nov. 3, the shutdown will tie for the longest funding lapse in U.S. history since 2019.