Last Updated on May 27, 2025
The FAA’s Newark move sparked the air traffic control crisis on May 24, 2025. A TikTok video by @doaviation revealed severe issues faced by controllers.
The agency’s decision ignited safety concerns amidst staffing shortages. The FAA Newark sector controversy fueled fierce debate over aviation safety and leadership accountability.
Video Exposes Mental Health Barriers
A TikTok video by @doaviation exposed the dire state of air traffic control. It focused on mental health barriers and the FAA’s Newark sector move.
The controller stated,
In a video, an air traffic controller shared personal opinions, clarifying that they do not necessarily reflect those of FAA, DOT, or NACO. The individual expressed disappointment in the current state of air traffic control in the United States, considering it to be of low quality.
He noted,
The controller used to create videos to promote air traffic control as a career, attracting millions of views. However, they have refrained from making such videos recently as they feel unable to endorse the field as enthusiastically due to the issues surrounding it, despite their love for being an air traffic controller.
Despite warnings from unions about safety risks, concerns were disregarded, leading to multiple outages that put lives in danger. One notable incident involved the FAA’s Newark sector relocation to Philadelphia, which was reported as a safety crisis by CNN.
“The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) warned that moving the Newark sector to Philadelphia would introduce significant risks, but those warnings were ignored. Multiple outages have since occurred, with controllers unable to communicate with aircraft for up to 90 seconds, raising serious safety concerns,”
highlighting the severity of the situation. Read more on CNN.
FAA Ignores Union Warnings on Safety
Critics accuse the FAA of ignoring union warnings. The Newark sector move to Philadelphia exacerbated the crisis despite safety risks. The controller stated,
“The big thing that’s been in the news lately regarding air traffic control is the Newark sector of approach control airspace. The FAA moved it to Philadelphia approach control. Now when this move was first announced, the New York N90 approach control union sent out a message saying, hey, we stand against this. This is unsafe. This is forcing controllers to move against their will to leave their homes and move to a different city. And it’s introducing risk into the system. The technology isn’t up to par. They stood against it because they said it was unsafe. And the FAA went ahead and did it anyways. And now there have been something like four radar and or radio outages within the last couple of weeks where for anywhere from 20 to 90 seconds, controllers could not see any planes or talk to any planes. Controllers could do nothing to prevent a midair collision over New York City. Newark.”
Supporters argue the move was necessary, but controversy persists. Staffing worsened, endangering lives.
Political Backlash Intensifies Over Crisis
The FAA’s Newark move controversy sparked sharp political reactions. Indeed, the video’s revelations prompted calls for immediate action. Furthermore, the controller’s account highlights the human toll. He stated,
“I’m on six-day work weeks. I cannot get time off. So if your favorite artist is coming to town or your friend got tickets to the big game or my sister’s pregnant, I’m not going to be able to be there for the birth of my nephew because I’m not going to be able to get the time off because I didn’t request it a year in advance because how could I? I didn’t know that was going to happen.”
Moreover, he added,
“Controllers can’t seek help for any mental health issues that they have. They can’t because we have to have a medical clearance for this job. And if you go to a therapist or whatever and say, hey, I’m depressed and hey, I’m thinking of ending it, we have to report every time we meet with any doctor to our flight surgeon. If you say those things, you’ll get your medical certificate pulled. You won’t be able to work. You’ll likely lose your job. So controllers just have to suffer in silence.”
Consequently, the question arises: will safety finally be prioritized over bureaucratic failures? Watch the full video here:
@doaviation
♬ original sound – doaviation
