Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration “completed the transition to a brand-new fiber optic communications network” at Newark Liberty International Airport. “We did it! After Biden and Buttigieg ignored the telecom breakdowns with air traffic control for Newark Airport, we vowed to fix the problems,” Duffy said last week. “Early this morning, @FAANews completed the transition to a brand-new fiber optic communications network that will significantly improve the resiliency of our telecom system. The fiber was laid at lightning speed in June, and before launching the new system, we tested it over the past month. This marks a critical milestone in our work to make flying safer and more efficient at Newark Airport,” he continued. “The Big Beautiful Air traffic Control System is next! @USDOT will continue putting our heads down and doing the hard work to make flying in and out of Newark safe, reliable & on time!” he added. BIG NEWARK AIRPORT UPDATE: We did it! After Biden and Buttigieg ignored the telecom breakdowns with air traffic control for Newark Airport, we vowed to fix the problems. Early this morning, @FAANews completed the transition to a brand-new fiber optic communications network… https://t.co/dYUvAecgqT — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 3, 2025 Newark Airport, one of the 20 busiest airports in the United States, has struggled in recent months with air traffic control communications issues. Newark Airport Plagued With Additional Issues ABC7 New York added: The Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) directs air traffic in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport. Officials say this upgrade ensures equipment will keep working if one of two communication paths is disrupted. Air traffic controllers repeatedly lost contact with Newark flights in the spring, including an incident on April 28th when communications were lost for around 90 seconds. The fiber was laid in June and testing of the network was conducted over the last month, officials said. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the milestone to improve the reliability of operations at Newark Airport on Thursday. "This marks a critical milestone in our unprecedented effort to make flying safer and more efficient. The last administration ignored government watchdog reports and did nothing to address the glaring issues at Newark - we vowed to fix it," Duffy said. "What we've already accomplished at Newark demonstrates that we are ready to deliver the all-new air traffic control system that the American people deserve." Duffy announced last month the reopening of a Newark runway under construction came ahead of schedule. "13 days sooner than expected. The Port Authority worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to get it online faster than we anticipated," Duffy said. Check it out: .@SecDuffy on re-opening Newark's runway ahead of schedule: "The Port Authority worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to get it online faster than we anticipated... It's amazing when everyone cares and engages together and business CEOs help us out how fast things can get done." pic.twitter.com/wTNQT2ugb8 — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 4, 2025 From the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced that a runway that had been closed for a planned rehabilitation at Newark Liberty International Airport will reopen 13 days ahead of schedule, allowing regular runway operations to resume at Newark Liberty on Monday, June 2. The Port Authority continues to support the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in its efforts to return capacity to the airport. The planned rehabilitation work was required for Runway 4L-22R to meet FAA safety standards for runways. As FAA staffing and operational challenges impacted air traffic controllers’ ability to effectively use the remaining two operational runways at Newark Liberty during the rehabilitation, the Port Authority worked to accelerate the construction schedule by bringing in additional crews, expanding shifts, and enabling construction to take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Thank you to the Port Authority for their partnership and hard work in getting Newark’s runway rebuilt ahead of schedule. Great job!” said U.S Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “As we approach the busy summer travel season, this key milestone puts us on a path to further reducing congestion, enhancing safety, and ensuring a seamless travel experience. With the runway completed, we’ll continue our work to harden the telecoms infrastructure and improving the staffing pipeline for the airspace.” “I commend the crews who have worked tirelessly to get this critical project done ahead of schedule,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “I’m grateful for New Jersey’s partnership with the Port Authority and the FAA as we work to return to full capacity at Newark Airport. New Jersey will do all we can to support plans from the USDOT to invest in modernizing our air traffic control system and fully staffing our air traffic controllers.”