US extends flight limits at New York area airports

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) - ‌The Federal Aviation ​Administration ​on Thursday said it was extending flight limits at the three major New York City area airports, citing air traffic control to address congestion ‌issues.

The FAA said the limits will be extended at Newark Liberty International ⁠Airport through Summer 2027 and at New York's JFK and LaGuardia Airport through late October 2028. The ‌FAA is also extending relief from ‌minimum flight requirements at JFK, LaGuardia and Reagan Washington National Airport through late 2027.

The FAA said runway capacity at LaGuardia remains limited, while demand for access remains high ​and at JFK the FAA said there would be severe congestion-related delays with ripple effects at other airports without limits.

In May 2025, the FAA imposed significant ⁠flight cuts at Newark following a series of major disruptions at the United Airlines that snarled hundreds of flights ​and sparked alarm about the aging U.S. air traffic control system. The FAA is extending those cuts through October 2027. The FAA said ​Thursday air traffic control staffing deficiencies at Newark "will ‌not significantly improve" before October 2027.

Under minimum flight requirements, airlines can lose their takeoff and landing slots at congested airports if they ⁠do not use them at least 80% of the time. The FAA's latest waiver allows airlines to fly 10% fewer flights. The FAA has previously issued a series of waivers to address ⁠the staffing issues at JFK and LaGuardia for several years.

The number of certified air traffic controllers ​at New York Area Terminal Radar Approach remains at just 57% of targeted levels.

A persistent staffing shortage has delayed flights and forced controllers at many facilities to work mandatory overtime and six-day weeks.

A ‌National Academies of Sciences report last year said overtime costs for air traffic controllers have jumped by more than 300% since 2013 ‌to over $200 million, citing a misallocated workforce and inefficient scheduling.

Last month, the FAA sharply reduced ⁠its target for air traffic control ‌staffing as it vowed to ​modernize scheduling and increase the time employees spend managing traffic, dropping it from 14,633 to 12,563 certified controllers.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by ‌Stephen Coates)

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