At least five controllers have taken up to 45 days off under the Federal Employees Compensation Act, which allows federal workers to take time off with full pay for traumatic job-related injuries.
The Newark Liberty International Airport chaos has worsened due to air traffic controllers taking “trauma leave” after dealing with repeated equipment failures, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
At least five controllers have taken up to 45 days off under the Federal Employees Compensation Act, which allows federal workers to take time off with full pay for traumatic job-related injuries. “Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers,” the FAA noted.
This loss of personnel has led to significant delays and cancellations, with United Airlines CEO blaming the absence of staff on these issues. A recent radar outage triggered the disruptions.