Over 40 U.S. Airports Faced ATC Failures Since 2022
More than 40 air traffic control facilities across the U.S. have reported radar and radio communication failures since 2022, according to a CNN investigation based on NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System. The incidents include breakdowns at major airports such as Newark Liberty, Denver, Houston Hobby, and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson.
The voluntary reports detail troubling situations, including a Tampa controller losing contact with two converging planes, and a controller in Indiana unable to communicate with a flight making an emergency landing. While the Federal Aviation Administration did not confirm each case, it acknowledged operating over 74,000 pieces of equipment and emphasized existing contingency plans, redundancies, and backup systems to maintain safety during outages.
In just the past month, Newark experienced four separate equipment failures, ranging from a few seconds to 45 minutes. On May 12, controllers at Denver International Airport lost contact with pilots for 90 seconds due to transmitter failure.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the growing strain on the FAA’s aging infrastructure, calling it “safe, but old.” He warned that communication breakdowns seen in Newark could happen elsewhere and unveiled a multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul the system with new radar, fiber, satellite, and voice technologies.
Despite the increase in outages, commercial aviation remains extremely safe, with a fatality rate of just 17 deaths per billion passengers. Both pilots and air traffic controllers are trained to handle outages, supported by onboard safety systems and cross-facility coordination to ensure flight operations continue safely during equipment failures.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, forbes.com, cnn.com