Duffy: New Fiber-Optic Line Laid to Help Situation at Newark

Cable should be ready for New Jersey airport to use by early July.

Zach Vasile

Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 02:08 PM ET

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Zach Vasile

An air traffic control tower at Newark Liberty International Airport [Credit: Wikimedia Commons]

Key Takeaways:

A new fiber-optic cable has been installed between Philadelphia and New York to replace a faulty line, aiming to resolve recurring air traffic control outages at Newark Liberty International Airport by early July.
The Transportation Department also plans to install another fiber-optic cable linking New York to Newark and expects a construction-closed runway to reopen by mid-June.
Efforts are underway to address ATC staffing shortages by training controllers for operations at the Philadelphia TRACON facility, which oversees Newark.

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A new fiber-optic cable has been installed to help resolve ongoing air traffic control issues at Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday.

The cable will replace an existing telecommunications line that has failed repeatedly, leading to ATC outages that disconnected controllers from pilots at and around the airport.