“I equate a good, A-level, traffic controller that can handle a place like Newark, JFK, LAX, San Francisco, to a three dimensional chess player who can juggle a chainsaw, an axe, a sword, a razor blade with his eyes closed,” Aero Consulting Experts CEO and a former United pilot Ross Aimer told Fortune.

Sen. John Fetterman called for bipartisanship and asked for support for Pennsylvania programs during a Senate hearing on Wednesday about air traffic safety.

The recent chronic delays and cancellations at New Jersey's largest airport have highlighted the shortage of air traffic controllers and the aging equipment they use.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently announced a three-year plan to upgrade air traffic control systems nationwide.

A reporter asked Duffy on Monday why the first Trump administration chose not to address the air traffic control system during his first term in office, noting that Duffy said it was a “decades-old” problem. However, Duffy’s answer left many users on social media scratching their heads.

The United States aviation industry continues to grapple with the worst air traffic controller shortage in nearly 30 years as a recent spate of incidents has thrust the high-stress profession into the spotlight.

One air traffic controller (ATC) and a trainee will operate every flight in and out of Newark between 6.30pm-9.30pm — despite 15 staffers being the standard requirement for a shift.

Staff shortages and equipment failures at Newark Liberty International Airport have raised safety concerns in recent weeks.