Newark Liberty International Airport to Reopen Closed Runway

Newark Liberty International Airport is on the road back to normal operations.

The airport, which has been plagued by weeks of flight disruptions, said it will reopen Runway 4L-22R, one of three runways at the airport, 13 days ahead of schedule. The runway had been closed since April 15, leaving just two other operational runways available at the airport, and just one other main runway — one of the issues contributing to a slate of delays and cancellations since the beginning of the year.

The runway was due for an update. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which spearheaded the project, said runways are typically repaved every 10 years. Runway 4L-22R had not been rehabilitated since 2014 and was “showing significant signs of wear,” the Port Authority said.

Work began at the beginning of March on nights and weekends. The runway was fully closed on April 15 before reopening on Monday. The work isn’t done yet — it will continue on weeknights through the end of the year, and on weekends from September through December — but it will again welcome air traffic on Monday.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is expected to be at Newark for a press conference Monday afternoon. He said in a statement that, even with the reopening, more work needs to be done at the airport.

“As we approach the busy summer travel season, this key milestone puts us on a path to further reducing congestion, enhancing safety, and ensuring a seamless travel experience,” he said. “With the runway completed, we’ll continue our work to harden the telecoms infrastructure and improve the staffing pipeline for the airspace.”

The other major problem right now for Newark is staffing shortages and system outages at its Air Traffic Controller (ATC) base. That issue remains. The airport will continue to cap its flight schedule into the fall in order to ease pressure on its ATC staff.