A former United Airlines pilot said Newark air traffic controllers already had a tough enough job prior to the recent system outage. Some air traffic controllers involved in the Newark airport system chaos opted for a 45-day “trauma leave,

At times Monday evening, as few as three air traffic controllers per hour were lined up to monitor via radar the planes flying into and out of the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

A reporter asked Duffy on Monday why the first Trump administration chose not to address the air traffic control system during his first term in office, noting that Duffy said it was a “decades-old” problem. However, Duffy’s answer left many users on social media scratching their heads.

One air traffic controller (ATC) and a trainee will operate every flight in and out of Newark between 6.30pm-9.30pm — despite 15 staffers being the standard requirement for a shift.

The United States aviation industry continues to grapple with the worst air traffic controller shortage in nearly 30 years as a recent spate of incidents has thrust the high-stress profession into the spotlight.