Delays and cancellations continued to upend operations at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said some air traffic controllers are taking time off following recent outages.

The turmoil also comes after United Airlines said over the weekend that it would cut 35 daily flights from the airport located not far from New York City.

Inbound flight delays have hit an average of 2 hours and 41 minutes, per officials.

Here’s what to know about the situation:

How did the delays begin?

On April 28, air traffic controllers briefly lost communication — for about 90 seconds — with planes at Newark Airport.

Controllers at a Philadelphia control center, who were responsible for monitoring air traffic in and out of the airport, lost radar and communications with the flights. "They were unable to “see, hear, or talk to them,” the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said, according to The New York Times.

The blackout and communication breakdown led to hundreds of flights being delayed or canceled. Three dozen flights were also diverted that day, said Aidan O’Donnell, the general manager of New Jersey airports, the Times reported.

The situation worsened when air traffic controllers took absences under the Federal Employees Compensation Act, which allows federal workers who are injured or experience a trauma on the job to take time off.

Airline response

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