United urges federal action on congestion at Newark airport - letter

United wants the federal government to step in to address congestion problems at Newark Liberty International Airport as a runway repair project that began July 6 causes headaches for many summer travelers. United CE Scott Kirby asked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA chief Steve Dickson "to temporarily and proportionally reduce the number of operations per hour at Newark while airport capacity is constrained by runway construction." Newark, which was the 15th busiest US airport in 2020 by total passengers, has seen lengthy flight delays, long taxi delays and numerous cancellations in recent weeks. United, which has a hub at the northern New Jersey airport, flies about 65% of all Newark flights. In the July 15 letter, which has not been previously reported, Kirby said that during a six-day period in July "the average number of (Newark) flight cancellations by all airlines was more than 100 flights per day" which placed a "severe strain on employees and operations." Kirby told regulators that United, which plans to resume a full schedule at Newark this fall, wants the FAA to step in to ensure that flight reductions are shared equitably among the airlines who fly in and out of the airport. He did not advocate returning to slot controls like those at New York's JFK and LaGuardia airports, however. Kirby asked FAA to "bring together all relevant parties to reduce the number of flights per hour temporarily and proportionally during July, August, and September."<br/>