Hundreds of flight delays at Newark, NJ Airport before Thanksgiving

🔵 650 delays at EWR this weekend

🔵 Some delays over 2.5 hours

🔵 Staffing shortage could bleed into Thanksgiving travel

NEWARK — Hundreds of flights at New Jersey's largest airport have been delayed this weekend in what could be a preview of the busiest Thanksgiving holiday travel period ever.

More than 400 flights at Newark Liberty International Airport were delayed on Saturday, according to FlightAware. There were another 242 delays and counting as of 6 p.m. Sunday.

Departures to EWR were delayed an average of 53 minutes, according to an alert from the Federal Aviation Administration. Some delays reached over 160 minutes amid an ongoin ground delay.

And there's no quick solution to the problem behind these delays.

Staff shortage at EWR

According to the FAA, a staff shortage of air traffic controllers at the Newark airport is responsible for delays this weekend.

While the federal agency announced in September that it had hired over 1,800 air traffic controllers nationally, the shortage has been decades in the making. The FAA was short 3,000 air traffic controllers as of May, CNN reported.

The issues persist despite the FAA moving control of Newark's airspace to Philadelphia this past spring to address staffing issues.

Travelers who fly out of Newark Airport this holiday season should expect packed flights and long lines.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey estimates that 2024 will be the busiest year on record for its airports.

READ MORE: 10 warnings for travelers in NJ before going to the airport

New Jersey 101.5 reached out to the FAA for comment on how a busy Thanksgiving combined with the staffing shortage will impact travelers at EWR.

"The FAA is slowing traffic into Newark Liberty International Airport due to staffing issues at the Philadelphia TRACON (PHL). Real-time updates are available at fly.faa.gov," said the FAA in a statement to New Jersey 101.5.

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