Most important, the current governance arrangement jeopardizes safety, because the FAA both operates and regulates the air-traffic-control system. This is a clear conflict of interest, and one that the International Civil Aviation Organization has directed member countries to eliminate.

With summer travel season approaching, the crisis at the New Jersey airport could mean weeks, if not months, of misery for travelers.

Alongside the deliberate dismantling of public health in the US under Trump, the breakdown of the aviation infrastructure continues apace.

The shortage on Monday forced the F.A.A. to delay flights to the busy airport for up to nearly seven hours, the latest problem to plague the airport.

The safety nightmare continues at Newark Liberty International Airport, where all air traffic control will be manned by just one fully qualified person during its busiest time on Monday night local time,