Flight Caps Extended at Newark Airport to Ease Delays Through 2025

Travelers flying in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport can expect fewer scheduled flights through the end of the year, as the FAA rolls out new limits aimed at reducing delays and congestion.

Starting June 16 through October 25, the FAA is capping arrivals and departures at 34 per hour during most time blocks. Then, from September 1 through December 31, those caps will drop further to 28 flights per hour on weekends, allowing room for continued runway construction.

This move comes after a chaotic spring at Newark, where thousands of flights were delayed or canceled. A mix of runway work, aging technology, and staffing shortages—especially at the air traffic control center in Philadelphia—created a domino effect of disruption. Officials originally implemented temporary caps last month, but the latest update extends them and puts a more structured plan in place to prevent further travel chaos.

Although one phase of runway repairs finished early, additional construction will resume after the peak summer season, specifically Fridays at 11 p.m. through Sundays at 5 a.m., likely impacting fall and holiday travel.

With nearly 49 million passengers flying through Newark last year, the airport remains one of the country’s busiest. These new restrictions may help smooth operations, but travelers should still prepare for possible bottlenecks—especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

On a more hopeful note, the FAA is also upgrading outdated air traffic control systems. Key communication cables between Philadelphia and Long Island—crucial for Newark’s radar visibility—have been replaced with modern fiber-optic lines. These upgrades are expected to go live by late June, which could ease some of the pressure on controllers and help avoid future system outages.

For now, if you’re flying through EWR later this year, build in extra time and keep a close eye on your flight status.