- 6/2/2025
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy holds a press briefing at Newark Airport about the reopening of the runway.
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00:00Yes. You guys ready? All right. Hello, everyone. Sean Duffy here. Thank you for coming out. We're going to give you an update on Newark. I'm here with Chris Rushlow, the acting administrator of the FAA. Sarah McKeon from the Port Authority. She's the Newark Airport Director of Aviation, as well as Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, and Tom Kane, one of New Jersey's finest in Congress.
00:29So I appreciate them all being here with us. Today, we're celebrating the opening of Newark's runway. And this is a 60-day project that actually is completed 13 days early. And we all couldn't be more grateful to the Port Authority, everyone who worked so hard, the unions, labor that worked to make sure this happened.
00:52And they were working around the clock, 24-7, to make sure they could complete the project before that 60-day time frame. And what is interesting is it was – I think you were going to beat the time frame by a couple days.
01:06But when they saw some of the issues that were happening here at Newark, they actually ramped it up even more. And again, this is a great day to celebrate the opening of the runway.
01:18And it goes to a broader point in regard to the issues that we're having here. What you're seeing is everyone who touches the problem is giving their full-hearted effort.
01:30They're leaning into the problem and helping fix the problem. From the Port Authority, again, 13 days early, opening the runway today.
01:40But you've also heard we have a telecom problem. And so we had a glitch in the system. The FAA did a remarkable job fixing the glitch in our software.
01:49But then Verizon stood up and said, you know what? We are going to make this a priority. We're going to fix the not-so-great line that goes from the Philly TRACON up to N90 here in New York.
02:01And they did that in record time, in less than a month's time. Now, that new fiber line's not stood up yet because we're testing it.
02:09Right now it has to be tested. The FAA has some pretty laborious testing procedures, which is – we appreciate that, Chris. Thank you.
02:17But that process is underway and, again, happening very quickly. By the way, after that, we're laying fiber from N90 to Newark.
02:28But the line from N90 to Newark has not been a real issue for us. So, again, everybody who touches the problem stands up and helps fix the problem.
02:39In regard to controllers, so that's been a big topic of conversation.
02:44You all know that we're 3,000 controllers short across the country right now.
02:50And that has been seen probably to the biggest extent at the Philly TRACON, which services the Newark Airport.
02:59And so just some background numbers. There's 22 controllers at Philly. There's five supervisors.
03:06Six of those 22 controllers are on leave right now.
03:11So there's only 16 controllers that work the Philly TRACON.
03:15However, there are 16 controllers who are training right now for the Philly – at the Philly TRACON for this airspace.
03:24And these – most of them are – are experienced controllers.
03:29And so on a rolling basis, over the next year, we're going to have more controllers come online into the Philly TRACON.
03:36In addition, we just brought in another six trainees into the Philly TRACON to also train up.
03:45So the problem we're seeing with controllers, it can't be fixed overnight.
03:49It takes time to train up on this airspace.
03:52But we've addressed the problem by bringing more controllers to train up in the Philly TRACON that, again, controls Newark here.
04:01And over the course of the next months, you're going to see improvements in this airport, in this airspace.
04:09And, again, day one, we have the airport.
04:13You're going to see improvements, again, in the telecom.
04:16And then you're going to see improvements with the staffing issues with regard to controllers.
04:22I'm going to turn it over in a second to the deputy administrator.
04:27But I also – again, I fly – this is my airport.
04:30I fly out of Newark.
04:32And I think a lot of people were frustrated by the fact that they were booking flights.
04:37And because of the issues we were having, their flights were hours delayed and then maybe even canceled.
04:43And all of the airlines came together with the FAA's leadership and United being the biggest provider, biggest airline here at Newark.
04:54They worked together to reduce the capacity at the airport.
04:58Again, we're flying 28 flights an hour in regard to departures.
05:02And I think the beauty of that is that when you book your flight, you're going to fly.
05:07Again, you don't want to book and wait two hours and be canceled.
05:10If you book, you want your plane to take off.
05:13And so we are at an agreement now where, again, if you come to this airport – Chris or Scott said we've got some even better pricing right now at Newark.
05:25So if you want to book at Newark, you might get a little better deal if you're coming out of this airport.
05:30But if you book, you fly, and that's critical.
05:33That's important.
05:34And so the message I have for all of you is no one here has created this problem, right?
05:42The problem has landed on our laps.
05:45But I want you to know that you have every asset that touches the problem working together, coordinating, cooperating, collaborating to make sure that as a team we address the problem that exists at Newark.
05:59And, by the way, we may see some of these problems happen at other places around the country.
06:04And with the same kind of energy and fervor, we're going to address those problems should they come up.
06:10And so, again, I'm proud of this team.
06:13I want to, again, say thank you to the Port Authority who, again, leaned into the problem and brought us to a moment where we're 13 days early.
06:23Again, critically important, getting the runway up and active.
06:27And so with that, I want to turn it over to a guy who has done just an amazing job as the acting administrator of the FAA.
06:35He came in, and I think a lot, probably more has been thrown at him in the last six months than anyone who's come in to lead the FAA in recent memory, acting administrator Chris Rushlow.
06:47Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
06:52Pleasure to be with you all here today.
06:54And let me just echo really quick the Secretary's comments about true appreciation for the collaboration that went into this, particularly with the Port Authority today.
07:04We are actually using the new runway today for departures, and that's a big deal, way ahead of schedule, and certainly contributing to a safe and efficient operation.
07:14I would also say our next steps are to go, we're going to have our technical operations people go out and certify that new runway for arrivals as well.
07:25It's going to take a little bit longer simply because we want to make sure that the equipment there is certified, is flight checked.
07:33And so that's going to take a few more days.
07:34But we're really proud of that collaboration that brought everybody together to be able to utilize that extra runway today.
07:43I would also note that, as the Secretary talks about, a lot of the work that went into this in advance, so we're running a 28 arrival rate right now.
07:53Once we certify that extra runway with the new arrival instrument landing systems, we'll be able to move up to 34 rate arrival per hour.
08:05Again, a lot of that has to do with the collaboration that went into it, with the airlines, with the Port Authority, in order to make sure that we're supporting a smooth and efficient and reliable air transportation system for the summer with everybody involved.
08:24So it's a real pleasure to be here today.
08:26I'm very proud of the work we've done in collaboration, particularly the FAA technical operations and controllers.
08:31As the Secretary talks about, there's a lot of work to be done, but we're in there every day.
08:37They care about the safety of the system.
08:39That's job one for us.
08:41And so, again, none of this comes together as part of our aviation safety ecosystem unless everybody's putting in, particularly with the airlines when we talk about reducing delays and disruptions over the summer.
08:53So with that, I will turn it over to Sarah McKeon from the Port Authority.
09:01Good afternoon, everybody.
09:06Thank you so much all for being here.
09:09And, Secretary Duffy, we appreciate you joining us at Newark to mark this tremendous milestone.
09:14I want to take a moment to really emphasize the incredible achievement of our Port Authority staff and our partners at Crisdale Construction,
09:22who completed this phase of the Newark Rehabilitation of the Runway Project, 13 full days ahead of schedule.
09:31It was no easy feat to get here.
09:34It took around-the-clock work.
09:37Literally seven days a week of people, multiple crews, paving, milling, electricians, and Port Authority aviation, operations, maintenance, and engineering staff to make this happen.
09:50Thank you to all of you for all of your dedication and hard work over the last several weeks.
09:56With all of the runways that are now in operation at Newark, the FAA air traffic controllers have maximum flexibility to safely and effectively manage arrivals and departures throughout the system.
10:08As an agency, the Port Authority is committed to ensuring that Newark is a world-class airport.
10:15This is evidenced in part by our $3 billion investment in the award-winning Newark Terminal A and our upcoming development and replacement of the Newark air train system.
10:27That said, our top priority remains returning Newark to its full operational capacity.
10:34We look forward to continuing to support the FAA and the Department of Transportation in their efforts to address the staffing and technology challenges that remain to restore Newark to its full operational capacity and potential.
10:50Thank you all so much.
10:51Thank you all so much.
10:52And with that, I'll turn it over to United CEO Scott Kirby.
10:57Thank you all for joining us today, and thank you, Sarah, for the intro.
11:02Thank you to the Port Authority, Sarah, Kevin, wherever you are, for all the work to get the runway back and get it back early to help contribute to this being this airport, realizing the potential that it has.
11:14But I also want to say a huge thank you to Secretary Duffy, Administrator Rossello, and the administration.
11:20The level of engagement that you see here today is unprecedented in my career.
11:25I've spent a career in aviation, sometimes, you know, often working to try to get the FAA to support and help customers and help our operation.
11:34And the level of support and partnership that we've had, the very fact that you're both here with us today, is a testament to trying to be partners
11:43and try to make the airspace and the airport not only safe but work for customers around the country.
11:49And I think this is a seminal moment in the aviation infrastructure history that we're here with them today.
11:56So thank you both.
11:57I also want to thank all the employees, many of whom I see in the back of United Airlines, for what you always do.
12:03I have been through this airport five or six times in the last few weeks, and it's an inspiration to me when I walk around,
12:10because they know what I also know, that not only are they keeping our customers safe in conjunction with the FAA and the air traffic controllers,
12:18but they're doing a great job of making this a really reliable airport that our customers can count on.
12:24And, in fact, for the period of time this year, for the almost four months of the year when runway construction wasn't going on,
12:31Newark has actually been the most reliable of the three New York airports, slightly ahead of both JFK and LaGuardia
12:37in terms of on-time performance and lowest cancellation rate.
12:41So they really are doing an amazing job taking care of our customers.
12:45And I really am excited today, as challenging as the last few weeks have been, and they have been tough,
12:50that we – the future looks brighter for Newark than it ever has in my career.
12:57The things that we have been asking for for years to make this airport operate reliably for customers are now being done.
13:04You know, the administrator talked about the number of flights that we have at the airport.
13:09And while we at United would love to schedule more flights, we can only schedule as many as the airport can handle.
13:16And so having the infrastructure right, having the staffing right at the TRACON, at the tower, and in the centers,
13:23but also having the airport realistically scheduled is the key to letting this be the crown jewel that it really is for,
13:30not just United Airlines, not just for New Jersey, but really for the entire country.
13:35Because Newark, the United Airlines hub here, actually is the largest single airline international gateway,
13:42particularly to Europe, of anywhere in the country.
13:45It really is a crown jewel of Americans visiting and seeing the world,
13:50and for people from around the world to come experience this country.
13:55So a huge thank you to everyone.
13:57We are glad to put this in the rearview mirror.
14:00And as I told you, customers can not only book with confidence.
14:04We did get well behind on bookings because of the perception issues around Newark recently.
14:08And so that means more seats are available, which means the fares are better than they're probably going to ever be in the years to come.
14:14So now is the time to book your vacation.
14:16If you want to go to Europe or you want to head across the country, now is the time.
14:19Because you're going to have not just a good value.
14:21You're going to have great people of United taking care of you.
14:24But you're also going to have an airport that is likely to be the most reliable of any of the New York airports,
14:30just like it was before the runway construction for the remainder of summer.
14:33So thank you all for joining us.
14:35And with that, I'll turn it over to a congressman from this great state,
14:41which is a crown jewel for us and for the country, Congressman Tom Kane.
14:49It's great to be with you here with the secretary, here with the leadership of the wonderful organizations.
14:56If New Jersey, the region, and the United States are going to be successful, Newark Airport has to be open.
15:07It's that simple.
15:09And this great partnership that came in 13 days early is going to be of real benefit and a real focus for other airports to follow their lead.
15:20The Port Authority did a phenomenal job.
15:23The FAA, DOT did extraordinary jobs.
15:26That partnership, as well as with the private sector, with Verizon, as well as with United, making sure that the communication was key.
15:35Infrastructure has to work.
15:37The timing has to be predictable.
15:39And together, we can make sure that safety is paramount, but we can make sure this stays open,
15:46and make sure that we have the funding from the federal level as well.
15:54All right.
15:55We're happy to take any of the questions you may have for us.
15:58Yes.
15:59So when are passengers really going to see a change or a difference in volume and the ability to book more flights and options, things like that?
16:15So I'll take a crack at that.
16:16If I get it wrong, Chris will tell me.
16:18So we're at 28 flights an hour right now.
16:22Once the runway gets certified, we're going to increase that to 34 flights an hour.
16:27So you're going to start to see that, and that's going to be the 9th or 10th, we think it's going to be certified.
16:32So a little over a week.
16:34And so then you'll have more capacity coming out of this airport.
16:39And we're going to hold that then for the summer.
16:41We're not going to reevaluate the number of flights per hour until we get to October.
16:47I'll just add that from a customer perspective, what's selling right now is that 34 flights.
16:54So if you book, you can have confidence that the selling schedules are equal to the 34 that the Secretary said.
16:59So you can book with confidence.
17:00Yes.
17:01Hi.
17:02Katie Corrado from X11.
17:07So you had to, particularly United, cancel flights voluntarily, and that is with one runway down.
17:14So now that you've added this runway back, can you really, can you start adding flights back?
17:21Is that in the foreseeable future?
17:23They are.
17:24So the schedule is now built starting June 15th at 34.
17:27It's 28 until then, but the airport's going to easily be able to handle the 28 because the runway's back early.
17:33But once it's back to June, starting June 15th, the airport is scheduled at 34 per day.
17:38And again, that's what's in the selling schedules today.
17:41So if you're buying a ticket this summer, you can have confidence that that's the schedule.
17:45And I think we'll be able to gradually ramp that up by the time we get out to October and look at the data.
17:52But we're confident.
17:53And the other thing that United has done is fly bigger airplanes.
17:56So we'll have fewer flights, we have fewer regional jets, and we're flying bigger aircraft in to keep the number of seats for customers similar to what it was before.
18:04But the schedule is now set.
18:06Okay.
18:07Just to add to that, we had three problems.
18:10One, the runway was getting rebuilt.
18:12And again, today we're celebrating 13 days early.
18:15We had a telecom issue.
18:17That new fiber is laid, but it has to be tested.
18:21And then we have the staffing issue with air traffic controllers.
18:24All of those things on a rolling basis are going to come online.
18:27And as that happens, we're going to be able to expand the capacity of the airport.
18:31But again, you can't snap your fingers and make it happen really quickly because these things take longer than a week or two or even a month.
18:40Yes.
18:41Secretary, can you – I have two questions.
18:46One is the fiber that got laid and is getting tested.
18:50When is that – when do you expect that to come online?
18:53So we – I don't want to over-promise and under-deliver.
18:57So I just – we're looking at it.
19:01But our hope is at the end of June, early July, we can switch it over.
19:07Okay.
19:08And then the –
19:09That's the line from the Philly TRACON to N90.
19:12And that was the problem line that we had.
19:14For radar or for telecom?
19:15For telecom.
19:16For telecom.
19:17Okay.
19:18And then the air traffic controllers, you mentioned that there's many in training that they should be able to roll out over the next year.
19:24Can you give us a little more particulars on that?
19:26Do you expect all of those air traffic controllers that are getting trained for Area C to be, you know, rolling out like a year today?
19:35Like how – can you just give more detail on that?
19:37So we have 22 controllers.
19:39Six are on leave right now.
19:41Okay?
19:42So it leaves us with 16 controllers in the Philly TRACON.
19:46And we have 16 – there's a lot of 16s in here, so don't be confused – we have 16 in training.
19:5114 of those are experienced controllers from other airspaces.
19:56They have to get trained up in this airspace.
19:59And so depending on where they're at in the training will depend on when they roll out of training and become certified controllers for this airspace.
20:07I believe, Chris, we have another six that just came in on top of the 16.
20:11So there's a total now of 22 controllers in training.
20:16And so it does take time, right?
20:19You want to make sure you have well-trained, certified controllers controlling your airspace.
20:24And so, again, they won't come out all at the same time, but they'll roll out over the course of the next months up to a year.
20:32So you'll start to see reduced stress on the controller front as we go from month to month.
20:39Yes.
20:40Hi.
20:41Tim McNicholas with CBS News New York.
20:44A few weeks ago, the FAA announced that they were installing runway incursion devices at 70 airports across the country, but not any airports in New York or New Jersey.
20:53Why not install those devices here?
20:55I'll take that.
20:58So part of our analysis when we roll out this type of equipment, the safety equipment, is looking through where we're seeing evidence of increased risk.
21:08And so what we want to do going into this is identify those airports that have perhaps increased risk and put those safety mitigations in place as early as possible.
21:18So that's not to say that those 79 airports are the only airports that we're looking at.
21:22We're just constantly rolling through the system to make sure that as we identify these areas for this new technology,
21:29we can put that in place and make sure that we're mitigating that risk that we identify kind of in our ongoing safety analysis process.
21:40Good afternoon. Ramzi Khalifa with WNYC, the local NPR station.
21:43So two questions.
21:44You said that Verizon took up a lot of that work to make the replacements to lay down cable.
21:48Did they do that between Long Island and Philly?
21:50Like how many miles of cabling is that really?
21:53So that was between the Philly TRACON and New York, yes.
21:57How many exact miles? I don't know.
22:00But, again, as the crow flies, I'm not sure if we went as the crow flies, but it's miles.
22:06And, again, they did it very quickly.
22:08And what about the other technology?
22:10Obviously that's something that the DOT has proposed that needs to be completely changed across the country.
22:15But that continues to age.
22:17So what effects are we going to see if that doesn't happen more immediately?
22:21So, again, the equipment's been working, right?
22:25It's like I'm driving my car and I'm hearing some knocks.
22:29I got some smoke coming out of the back.
22:30I see I got some problems.
22:32And it's incumbent upon us to tell America we have problems and it has to be fixed.
22:38And so in the big, beautiful bill, there's $12.5 billion to start this project.
22:45Big deal.
22:46I believe the Senate's going to provide more dollars for us also.
22:50We'll see what they do.
22:51But the failure of the past has been the FAA has gotten small tranches of money, not full funding.
23:00We need full funding.
23:01We need the money up front so we can contract out and build this brand-new system across the country.
23:06That's been one problem.
23:08Usually the FAA deals with middle management.
23:12FAA projects get done at the bottom of the list normally, and they take forever.
23:17Frankly, they rarely get done.
23:19We are dealing at a CEO level as we're thinking through who's going to, you know, come in and partner with us in this project.
23:28So the buy-in is way different in this project.
23:31The money is going to be way different.
23:33And the final point is we're going to need permitting reform because this has to happen fast.
23:37And, again, we're not building a six-lane thoroughfare.
23:42We're not building skyscrapers.
23:44We're going to lay fiber.
23:45And so hopefully the Congress will work with us on that as well.
23:48And hopefully we'll get it by, you know, end of July or August.
23:52But, Tom, are we going to get this by the end of July or August?
23:56By July 1.
23:57Tom says July 1.
23:59I can't wait.
24:00Yes.
24:02Good afternoon, Secretary.
24:04If you'll forgive me, slightly technical questions.
24:07First, the fiber cable that you said is for telecom, is that going to deal with some of the radar latency issues
24:14that have been going on between N90 and Philly TRACOM as well, or is that simply voice communications?
24:19It's both.
24:21It's both.
24:22Okay, thank you.
24:23And that 34 an hour that, once the runway is certified, should be the capacity of the runway layout here.
24:30Is that reliant on full staffing at Philly TRACON, or is that achievable with what you've got now?
24:35Yeah.
24:36That's achievable with what we have right now.
24:38And, yeah.
24:40So we have the capacity.
24:42And now if there's something unforeseen that happens where we lose controllers for some reason, we'll scale those numbers back.
24:50But we'll have the staff to go to 34 with the current staffing at the Philly TRACON.
24:57Okay.
24:58Yes.
24:59Hi.
25:00Jelani Gibson, NJ.com.
25:04Can we get an estimate on what the flights per hour were before all of the delays started happening?
25:1150?
25:1254?
25:13Do you want to take that?
25:14Hi.
25:15There you go.
25:16The theoretical capacity of the airport was about 38 and a half per hour.
25:21So 77 total operations per hour.
25:24Sometimes the day, though, it was scheduled at 80 plus.
25:27That's historically actually been the challenge at Newark, is that the theoretical maximum was 38 and a half per hour.
25:34And it was scheduled over that.
25:35It would just cause delays that would bleed through the day.
25:38And so that's why this is such a seminal and really turning point for not just the near term, but the long term of Newark,
25:45is because once you philosophically start matching the number of flights to be equal to the capacity of the airport,
25:53it allows the airport to run reliably as far into the future as you can look.
25:57So this is a really big day.
25:58This agreement that the FAA drove with the airlines is really a turning point for Newark for the long term.
26:07And so just to be clear, you are four flights per hour away from the operational capacity?
26:13From what it was historically.
26:15Okay, got it.
26:20Anybody else?
26:21Hey, Lauren Simonetti, Fox Business.
26:23So when you re-evaluate in October, what do you want that number per hour to be?
26:28And is the 34 number just United or is that airport-wide?
26:33Yeah, thanks.
26:35So that's airport-wide right now.
26:37As Mr. Kirby described, what we're going to do is monitor that progress through the summer.
26:48So we'll watch the nature of the operations.
26:50Obviously weather contributes to some of that as well.
26:53And then as we continue to roll new controllers on, new certified controllers,
26:58we'll be able to assess kind of where that benchmark is going forward past October.
27:03But we'll continue to work that regularly with the airlines that operate and the Port Authority
27:07to make sure that we've kind of got a good sense of that as we get into the fall and the winter.
27:12Anybody else?
27:17I just want to get clarity on the timeline for upping.
27:22You're having the inspection June 9th and June 15th is when you'll actually launch the 34 planes an hour.
27:29I think the difference is in planning for the 15th, United has their schedule at 34 on the 15th,
27:36but the capacity of the airport will be 34 if certified on the 10th.
27:43Okay.
27:44Correct.
27:46Meghno with Skift.
27:50I was wondering as far as like the funding that you've talked about for air traffic control reform,
27:55what sort of timeline do you envision for that project?
27:59So there's a number of factors and permitting is a big one, but I believe we can do it in three to four years.
28:08And what you'll see is it's just, it doesn't, it's not a whole work project that completes in three or four years.
28:14You'll have airports that are done well before that, right?
28:18So we'll upgrade airspaces, tracons, towers, and you'll see the benefits as we go from year to year.
28:27We hope the completion of all of our airspace will be finished in that three to four year timeframe.
28:33If I get the permitting reform, I think we're closer to three.
28:39If we don't, we're closer to four.
28:41And this is an American project.
28:44This is an American build.
28:45This is the most important infrastructure project that we've had in this country for decades.
28:53And so you're going to see, I think the Congress is going to engage.
28:57If a bill is on the floor today, and Tom will tell me if I'm wrong,
29:00we would have 90% of all Republicans and Democrats in both chambers that vote for it.
29:05Everyone agrees this is nonpartisan.
29:07Everyone knows we have to do it.
29:09What vehicle does the money get on in Congress to get it to us?
29:13That's why I left Congress, maybe.
29:17I'm not going to figure that out.
29:19But they want to do it, which is really important.
29:23And again, the companies that are going to work with us, they are going to work with us at the top level.
29:29And again, this is more like DOD, how they get their work done.
29:34It's a priority.
29:35We're going to be a priority.
29:36And that's going to mean we can do this in record time.
29:40And just the last point I'll leave you with is, as we think about all the runway, and again,
29:46it's not going to be certified for landings until the 9th and 10th.
29:51We care about safety.
29:53We want you to get to where you're going.
29:55And again, we might slow down flights.
29:57We might take time to certify a runway.
29:59We want to take time to certify air traffic controllers in the Philly TRACON.
30:05We don't want to rush anything.
30:08It's doing it the right way is what's key.
30:10So you feel that the system is safe, and we know the system is safe.
30:15And so, again, I don't, we don't, Scott does not like flights delayed.
30:20I don't like flights delayed or canceled.
30:22But we will do it if we don't feel like the system is safe or we have enough controllers or there's an issue in the airspace.
30:30We slow it down or we shut it down.
30:32And I always get the question, is it safe to fly?
30:35Yes, it's safe to fly.
30:37And it's because we have such a great team that focuses day in and day out on the flying public safety.
30:45And so, with that, I want to thank this team.
30:48I want to, again, thank the Port Authority for all of your work.
30:50Again, amazing how fast they worked around the clock to make today happen.
30:56And with that, thank you all very much.