The 90 seconds that shook air-traffic controllers
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What are the key events discussed in today's episode?
Good morning. It's Wednesday, May 7th. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The conclave to choose a new pope begins today. And a mostly cordial meeting between Canada's new prime minister and President Trump.
What happened during the communication loss at Newark Airport?
But first, to last week's communications meltdown at Newark Airport that put air traffic controllers completely in the dark and set off a chain reaction that's still resulting in canceled and delayed flights. Yesterday, audio from air traffic control was released, offering us a window into the incident.
No, you do not have a Bravo clearance. We lost our radar and it's not working correctly. Radar service terminates, squawk VFR, green screen approved. If you want a Bravo clearance, you can just call the towers when you get closer. Okay, I'll wait for that frequency from you, okay? Okay, no, just squawk VFR, look up the tower frequencies. We don't have a radar, so I don't know where you are.
How did air traffic controllers manage the radar blackout?
We called up Andrew Tangle, who covers aviation safety and regulation for the Wall Street Journal, to tell us what was happening there.
They lost their radios and their radars for about 90 seconds, and they couldn't communicate with pilots. And that was a very scary situation for the controllers. They are managing Busy, complex airspace, and they keep airplanes safely separated. They tell them where to go, where to point the nose, how fast to go, all of that, and keep them out of harm's way. And they do that with the tools that went dead.
This blackout meant controllers couldn't see where each plane was, and their backup systems didn't work.
There are planes taking off, landing, going hundreds of miles per hour. They're all in sequence. They need to know where not to fly. They need to know not to go in a certain direction to not have a conflict with another aircraft and crash into it. And when the basic tools that air traffic controllers use don't work, it's very scary for them, but it raises obvious safety issues for the traveling public.
What measures are being taken to modernize air traffic control systems?
Ultimately, there were no crashes. Thousands of flights have been delayed or canceled since, and dozens more were diverted to other airports. Tangle says the whole experience was traumatizing for the controllers. Their union has said that many have since taken trauma leave. As for the cause, the Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has blamed, quote, antiquated technology. He says he'll propose a plan to modernize the air traffic system later this week that will cost tens of billions of dollars. What happened at Newark, along with other recent aviation disasters like the fatal collision near Reagan National Airport in January, have put longstanding problems in the industry into sharp focus. Air traffic control alone has been facing issues for years due to inadequate funding, dated systems, and staffing shortages. The report from the Government Accountability Office last year found that close to three-quarters of air traffic systems were obsolete or potentially too hard to fix or maintain. The FAA says it's understaffed by about 3,000 fully certified controllers nationwide.
So that results in controllers needing to work six-day weeks, 10-hour days. There are reports of fatigue, stress, and so forth. I mean, controllers are known to like overtime, but some say that after a while, they'd rather have a better life-work balance.
Duffy has rolled out new incentives aimed at increasing the number of certified controllers. In February, he announced a 30 percent pay increase for students at the Air Traffic Academy. More recently, he announced the FAA will give $5,000 to all graduates of that academy. And he announced annual bonuses for air traffic controllers who are eligible for retirement but choose to stay on the job. So far, controllers have been exempt from federal workforce cuts. As for what's going on at Newark Airport, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has now called for an investigation, and it remains unclear how long it'll take for flights to resume their regular schedules.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What are the key events discussed in today's episode?
0:05–0:34
2
What happened during the communication loss at Newark Airport?
0:34–1:10
3
How did air traffic controllers manage the radar blackout?
1:10–2:29
4
What measures are being taken to modernize air traffic control systems?
2:29–5:02
5
What are the recent tensions between India and Pakistan?
5:02–6:36
6
How has President Trump responded to the India-Pakistan conflict?
6:36–12:41
Speakers
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