JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes warned that the discount carrier is going to have to cut flights into and out of the New York area this summer due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.
Hayes said staff at the Air Traffic Control Center in New York City handles all inbound, outbound and through traffic, but is only 54% of what is needed. Hayes said that is compared to the national average of 81%.
Even though we have airplanes, we've hired pilots JetBlue and other airlines are going to have to cut flights in and out of New York this summer in order to cope, Hayes said.
The Federal Aviation Administration FAA warned that if the industry doesn't cut flights in the area, delays will be 45% worse than last summer, Hayes said.
In order to put that in perspective, about 350 flights were delayed every day in the New York area last summer because of air traffic control staffing issues, Hayes said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has not responded immediately to FOX Business's request for comment.
The FAA said last week that staffing levels at New York Terminal Radar Approach Control N 90 continue to be below targets, although the air traffic controller training backlog continues to be reduced at many FAA air traffic facilities. The agency said it is taking several steps to keep air travel safe and smooth in New York City this summer. The agency said it will give airlines flexibility on slot usage requirements to try and mitigate disruptions. The FAA expects airlines to take actions minimizing the impact on passengers, including operating larger aircraft to carry more passengers, and making sure passengers are fully informed about any possible disruptions. Hayes said that the majority of its flights, nearly 60%, are in and out of the New York area every day, which affects JetBlue more than its rivals.
The news comes just after the New York-based airline invested tens of millions of dollars to ramp up hiring.
JetBlue has hired more people than we have ever hired, in order to be prepared for the busy summer travel season, and to help New York recover from the effects of the Pandemic.
He said that this is going to be a significant step backwards in our ability to do that.
Hayes said that the growth that was due to happen is offset by the 10% of flights we're taking out.
According to Hayes, this doesn't just affect New York.
For instance, JetBlue is the largest airline in Boston, but every flight south goes through the New York center and is also going to be subject to similar challenges, Hayes said.
He wouldn't be surprised if other airlines would follow suit.
In January of this year, JetBlue predicted that revenue would grow in the high single digits to low double digits and available seat miles ASMs would increase by 5.5% to 8.5%.