The City of Newark built the airport on 68 acres (28 ha) of marshland in 1928, and the
Army Air Corps operated the facility during
World War II. The airport was constructed adjacent to
Port Newark and
U.S. Route 1. After the Port Authority took it over in 1948, an instrument runway, a terminal building, a control tower, and an air cargo center were added. The airport's
Building 51 from 1935 is a National Historic Landmark. Newark is one of three major airports serving the
New York metropolitan area; the others are
John F. Kennedy International Airport and
LaGuardia Airport, which are also operated by the Port Authority. Out of them Newark is the oldest.
In 2019, the airport served 46,336,452 passengers, the most in its history. During 2021 EWR served 29,049,552 passengers, which made it the
29th-busiest airport by passenger traffic in the world. Newark serves 50 carriers and is the third-largest hub for
United Airlines after
Chicago O'Hare and
Houston George Bush Intercontinental serving about 63% of passengers at the airport making it the largest tenant at the airport. The airport's largest tenant, and
FedEx Express, its second-largest tenant, are operating in three buildings on 2 million square feet [0.19 square kilometers] of airport property.
The
airports in the New York metropolitan area, including Newark, combine to create the largest airport system in the United States, the
second-largest in the world in terms of passenger traffic and largest in the world in terms of total flight operations. In 2021, Newark Airport served 29 million passengers,
JFK served 30 million, and LaGuardia served 15.6 million, a great decline in passenger traffic due to COVID-19 measures.
History
From the 1920s,
Newark, New Jersey, was the site of two airfields – Heller Field, which opened in 1919,[4] and
Hadley Field, which opened in 1924[5] – used by the
United States airmail service. In May 1921, Heller Field was closed and all air mail services moved to Hadley Field, which by 1927 also served four airlines. The
US Postal Service, however, desired to have an airfield closer to
New York City.[6] In 1927, people and organizations both national and local in scope began calling for a new airport in the area of Newark,[6][7][8][9] including Newark's mayor,
Thomas Raymond.[10]
On August 3, 1927, Raymond ordered plans for a new airport.[11] Construction, estimated to cost $6 million (equivalent to $93,597,701 in 2021),[11][12] began on April 1, 1928, along
US Route 1 and
Port Newark.[13] The construction involved a
land reclamation project to create 68 acres (28 ha) of
level ground, 6 feet (1.8 m) above
sea level to prevent flooding, upon which a 1,600-foot (490 m)
runway was laid. In addition to the 6,735,000 cubic yards (5,149,000 m3) of earth required for the reclamation, 7,000
Christmas trees and 200 bank safes donated by a local junk vendor were used.[14] The airport opened on October 1, 1928, as the Newark Metropolitan Airport.[15] It was the first major airport to serve the
New York metropolitan area,[16] and the first airport in the
United States with a paved airstrip.[17]
The nation's first air traffic control tower and airport weather station opened at Newark in 1930, and it became the first airport to allow nighttime operations after installing runway lights in 1952.[20] The
Art Deco style
Newark Metropolitan Airport Administration Building, adorned with
murals by
Arshile Gorky,[21] was built in 1934 and dedicated by
Amelia Earhart in 1935.[22] It served as the terminal until the opening of the North Terminal in 1953.[23] Construction of the Brewster Hangar began in 1937 and continued through 1938. This hangar was the most advanced of its time. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is now a museum and Port Authority Police headquarters.[24][20]
The Brewstar Hangar in 1939
Despite this critics said the airport was poorly designed because there was no separation of incoming and outbound passengers and no thought given to future expansion although this did not stop Newark from being the busiest commercial airport. United Airlines, American Airlines, Eastern Airlines, and TWL signed 10-year leases when the airport which ended in 1938. Then they would pay on a month-to-month basis until
LaGuardia Airport opened in December 1939;[25][26] by mid-1940 passenger airlines had all left Newark no longer making it the world's busiest airport.[27]
During World War II the field was closed to commercial aviation while it was taken over by the
United States Army for logistics operations. In 1945 captured German aircraft brought from Europe on
HMS Reaper for evaluation under
Operation Lusty were off-loaded at Newark AAF and then flown or shipped to
Freeman Field, Indiana or
Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The airlines returned to Newark in February 1946. In 1948, the city of Newark leased the airport to the Port of New York Authority (now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey). As part of the deal, the Port Authority took operational control of the airport and began investing heavily in capital improvements, including new hangars, a new terminal and runway 4/22.[28]
Through the early 1970s, Newark had a single terminal building located on the north side of the field, by what is now
Interstate 78.[34] In the 1970s the airport became Newark International Airport. Former Terminal A and present Terminal B opened in 1973, although some charter and international flights requiring customs clearance remained at the North Terminal. The main building of Terminal C was completed at the same time, but only metal framing work was completed for the terminal's satellites. It lay dormant until the mid-1980s, when for a brief time the west third of the terminal was equipped for international arrivals and used for some
People Express transcontinental flights. Terminal C was finally completed and opened in June 1988.[35]
Underutilized in the 1970s, Newark expanded dramatically in the 1980s. People Express struck a deal with the Port Authority to use the North Terminal as its air terminal and corporate office in 1981 and began operations at Newark that April. It grew quickly, increasing Newark's traffic through the 1980s.[36]Virgin Atlantic began service between Newark and
London in 1984, challenging JFK's status as New York's international gateway (but Virgin Atlantic now has more flights at JFK than at Newark). Federal Express (now known as FedEx Express) opened its second hub at the airport in 1986.[37] When People Express merged into Continental in 1987, operations (including corporate office operations) at the North Terminal were reduced and the building was demolished to make way for cargo facilities in the early 1997. This merger started the dominance of Continental Airlines, and later United Airlines, at Newark Airport.[38]
On July 22, 1981, a railroad tank car carrying ethylene oxide caught fire at the Port Newark freight yard causing the evacuation of a one-mile radius, which included the evacuation of the North Terminal building of Newark International Airport.[39]
In late 1996 the monorail opened, connecting the three terminals, the overflow parking lots and garages, and the rental car facilities. A new International Arrivals Facility also opened in Terminal B that year.[16] The monorail was expanded to the new Newark Airport train station on
Amtrak's
Northeast Corridor line in 2001 and was renamed AirTrain Newark.[40]
21st century
Newark Airport's historic Building One after being moved and restored
In 2000, The Port Authority moved the historic Building 51 which has been renamed Building One. The building, which weighs more than 7,000 tons, is hydraulically lifted, placed atop dollies and rolled about 3/4 of a mile. It now is where the airport's administrative offices are.[20][41]
After the hijacking and crash of
United Airlines Flight 93 in the
September 11 attacks in 2001 while en route from Newark to
San Francisco, the airport's name was changed from Newark International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport in 2002. This name was chosen over the initial proposal, Liberty International Airport at Newark, and pays tribute to the victims of the September 11 attacks and to the landmark
Statue of Liberty, lying just 7 miles (11 km) east of the airport.[42][43]
A July 2006 photograph of
United Airlines Flight 93's departure gate, A17 (now demolished). Following the
9/11 attacks, American flags flew over the gates that the hijacked flights departed from.
In October 2015,
Singapore Airlines announced intentions to resume direct nonstop service between Newark and its main hub at
Singapore Changi Airport which had ended in November 2013.[44] The airline announced that service would resume some time in 2018, and the Airbus A350-900ULR was chosen as the aircraft for the route.[45][46] On May 30, 2018, Singapore Airlines officially announced that nonstop service between Newark and Singapore would begin on October 11, 2018, and Newark Liberty once again became host to
the world's longest non-stop flights.[47]
Continental Airlines (now merged with
United Airlines) began flying from Newark to
Beijing-Capital on June 15, 2005, and to
Delhi on November 1, 2005. The airline soon started flights to
Mumbai. On July 16, 2007, Continental announced it would seek government approval for nonstop flights between Newark and
Shanghai-Pudong in 2009. Continental began flights to Shanghai from Newark on March 25, 2009, using
Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. Newark was the only New York area airport used by
Philippine Airlines (PAL), until financial problems in the late 1990s caused it to terminate this service. In March 2015, PAL resumed service to the New York metropolitan area routing to JFK instead of Newark, following the removal of the Philippines from the air safety blacklist of the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).[48]
In June 2008, a flight caps were put in place to restrict the number of flights to 81 per hour. The flight caps, in effect until 2009, were intended to be a short-term solution to Newark's congestion. The FAA has since embarked on a seven-year-long project to reduce congestion in all three New York area airports and the surrounding flight paths.[49]
Newark is a major hub for United Airlines (Continental Airlines before the 2010–12 merger). United has its Global Gateway at Terminal C, having completed a major expansion project that included a new, third concourse and a new
Federal Inspection Services facility. With its Newark hub, United has the most service of any airline in the New York area. On March 6, 2014, United opened a new 132,000-square-foot (12,300 m2), $25 million hangar on a 3-acre (1.2 ha) parcel to accommodate their wide body aircraft during maintenance.[50] In 2015, the airline announced plans to leave JFK altogether and streamline its transcontinental operations at Newark.[51] On July 7, 2016, the
United States Department of Transportation announced that Newark was one of ten cities to first operate flights to
José Martí International Airport in
Havana, Cuba.[52]
Southwest Airlines began service at the airport in 2011, flying to ten cities. It ended all Newark service in November 2019, primarily due to the
Boeing 737 MAX groundings, low demand, and inadequate facilities, and consolidated its New York–area operations to Long Island and LaGuardia.[53]
Manhattan and
Jersey City seen from Newark Airport
In 2016, the Port Authority approved and announced a redevelopment plan to replace Terminal A, set to fully open in 2022.[54] A $2.7 billion investment, Terminal One is expected to increase passenger flow and gate flexibility between airlines, and would also be accompanied by a replacement for the AirTrain Newark monorail system, scheduled for completion in 2024. Terminal One will have 33 gates, increasing Newark's gate total to 125, including 16 international gates that can be alternated so that 2 narrow-body aircraft or 1 wide-body aircraft can occupy a space.[54]
As a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States across the
New York City area, aircraft operations in Terminal A have drastically changed with only 15,892,892 passengers in 2020, but the previous year it had 46,336,452, the most in its history.[55]Alaska Airlines trimmed its Newark schedule to just three daily flights and has leased their gates (A30 and A31) to JetBlue to accommodate their increased operations.[56] In addition, United Airlines has vacated concourse A2 in favor of Terminal C for their operations. United has not yet announced when, or if, they will return to Terminal A. JetBlue currently utilizes Gates 16, 16A, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 30, and 31 in Terminal A and is now the dominant carrier of the Terminal.[57] As of Summer 2021, United has returned some Express service to Terminal A. Most international flights from the airport are still suspended with the exception of United's flights to major European, Latin American, and Caribbean destinations.[58]
As of 2023, Newark serves 50 carriers and is the third-largest hub for
United Airlines after
Chicago O'Hare and
Houston George Bush Intercontinental.[59] During a 12-month period ending in March 2022, over 63% of all passengers at the airport were carried by United Airlines. The second-busiest airline is JetBlue Airways, which carries 11.4%, and then American Airlines, which carries 5.6%.[60] The second largest tenant is FedEx which operates in 3 buildings on around two million square feet of the airport's property.[61]
Facilities
Runway 11/29 with Foreign Trade Zone No. 49 in the background
4L/22R: 11,000 by 150 feet (3,353 m × 46 m), asphalt/concrete, grooved
4R/22L: 10,000 by 150 feet (3,048 m × 46 m), asphalt, grooved
11/29: 6,726 by 150 feet (2,050 m × 46 m), asphalt, grooved
Helipad H1: 54 by 54 feet (16 m × 16 m), asphalt
Runway 11/29 is one of the three runways built during World War II. In 1952 Runways 1/19 and 6/24 were closed and a new Runway 4/22 (now 4R/22L) opened at a length of 7,000 ft (2,100 m). After 1970 this runway was extended to 9,800 feet (3,000 m), shortened for a while to 9,300 ft (2,800 m) and finally reached its present length by 2000. Runway 4L/22R opened in 1970 at a length of 8,200 ft (2,500 m) and was extended to its current length by 2000.[64]
EWR has more then 12 miles of 75-foot-wide taxiways. In 2014, the Port Authority completed a $97 million dollar rehabilitation project of Runway 4L/22R while adding four new taxiways to reduce delays. Three of the new taxiways allow multiple planes to stage for departure at the end of the runway, reducing takeoff delays, while the other new taxiway will allow arriving planes to exit the runway faster and get to the gates quicker.[61][65]
All approaches except Runway 29 have
Instrument Landing Systems and Runway 4R is certified for Category III approaches. Runway 22L had been upgraded to CAT III approach capability.[49]
Runway 4L/22R is primarily used for takeoffs while 4R/22L is primarily used for landings and 11/29 is used by smaller aircraft or when there are strong crosswinds on the two main runways. Newark's parallel runways (4L and 4R) are 950 feet (290 m) apart, the fourth smallest separation of major airports in the U.S., after
San Francisco International Airport,
Los Angeles International Airport and
Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.[38] Helipad H1 is used by Blade, a helicopter service that goes to EWR and JFK from their heliport on East 34th street in New York City with the purpose of going to and from the airport in under 5 minutes.[66][67] They use the
Bell 407 helicopter.[68]
Unlike the other two major New York–area airports,
JFK and
LaGuardia, which are located directly next to large bodies of water (
Jamaica Bay and the
East River, respectively) and whose runways extend at least partially out into them, Newark Airport, while located just across
Interstate 95 from
Newark Bay and not far from the
Hudson River, does not directly front upon either body of water, so the airport and its runways are completely land-locked.[69]
Cargo
Port Newark is adjacent to Newark Airport
In 1997, the North Terminal was torn down to make a new air cargo facility.[38] EWR now has almost 1 million square feet of total cargo facility space, and 290 acres (120 ha) are dedicated to cargo operations. The airport is in both
Newark,
Essex County and
Elizabeth,
Union County. It is adjacent to
Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal, and Foreign-Trade Zone No. 49. It serves more than 45 air carriers with nearly 1,200 daily arrivals and departures to domestic and international destinations. Climate-controlled warehouse areas and cold storage to accommodate perishable items.[61][70]
Aeroterm operates buildings 339 and 340. United Airlines cargo facility was constructed in 2001. The FedEx Cargo Complex completed a $60-million expansion of a state-of-the-art automated sort facility at its Newark Regional Hub, which now includes Buildings 347, 156 and most of 155. UPS completed construction of their new cargo building in 2019. Building 157 is a multi-tenant cargo building completed in 2003.[61]
Air traffic control
Newark Liberty International Airport's Air Traffic Control Tower next to the Marriott Hotel
In December 1935 the airport's first air control station came into existence following a flight that crashed outside of Kansas City, killing five people, including a U.S. senator. The airport's original terminal, or Building 51, also known as the
Administration Building housed the first air traffic control tower for the airport, and was designed by John Homlish in the 1930s.[71][72][73] A concrete
brutalist-styled and
toothbrush-shaped control tower was built in 1960, and opened on January 18 of that year, designed by architect Allan Gordon Lorimer;[74] the cost of the construction was estimated to be $1.5 million.[75] In 2002, this control tower closed and was replaced by a new and taller control tower. The current air traffic control tower is 325 feet tall (99 m).[76] Around the same time, the old toothbrush control tower built in 1960 was demolished in 2004. LVI Services performed asbestos removal in February 2004, until complete demolition of the tower in July 2004, by LVI Demolition Services Inc.[77] The current tower is located next to a
Marriott hotel which is on the airport's property.[78][79] The current tower overlooks the
Manhattan Skylines, and the
George Washington Bridge.[80]
Other facilities
There are several hotels adjacent to Newark Liberty International Airport. Hotels such as Courtyard by
Marriott and the
Holiday Inn are located on the airport's property.[81][82]Signature Flight Support is the only
fixed-base operator at the airport, providing various services to private aircraft.[83] Terminals A, B, and C all have short-term parking lots. Garage P4 can be accessed from this garage using the AirTrain. Economy Parking P6 can be accessed from the terminals using a free Port Authority shuttle bus.[84]
Terminals
Across the airport's three terminals, there are 121 gates: Terminal A has 29 gates, Terminal B has 24 gates, and Terminal C has 68 gates.[85]
Gate numbering starts in Terminal A with Gate 10 and ends in Terminal C with Gate 138 (139 has been decommissioned since 138 became a 2 jet bridge gate). Wayfinding signage throughout the terminals was designed by
Paul Mijksenaar, who also designed signage for LaGuardia and JFK Airports.[86]
Terminal A
The Port Authority approved to modernize Terminal A to replace the existing terminal, which opened in 1973. Built on a site once occupied by
United Parcel Service and the
United States Postal Service,[54] the new terminal cost around $2.7 billion and includes redesigned roadways with 8 new bridges, a new six-level, 2,700-car parking garage and rental center,[87][88] 33 gates, and a walkway to connect the AirTrain station, parking garage, and terminal building.[89] The grand opening was originally anticipated for December 8, 2022.[90] However, due to continued testing of the fire alarm and security system as well as a hesitance from the
PANYNJ to open a brand new terminal ahead of the 2022 holiday season, the grand opening was delayed to January 12 2023, at which 21 of the total 33 gates opened.[91] The remaining gates are projected to open about 12 months later.[91]
Designed by
Grimshaw Architects,[92][93] the redevelopment offers more traffic lanes at pick-up and drop-off points, closer check-in counters and security areas to the entrance, and more gate flexibility to allow planes to park at any gate in a "common-use" system.[87][54] The new Terminal A has four levels: the departures level, the mezzanine level for offices, the arrivals level, and the ground floor, where baggage claim will be located.[54] The terminal will be operated as EWR Terminal One LLC by Munich Airport International, a subsidiary of
Munich Airport, which will manage the terminal's operations, maintenance, and concessions in the 1 million square feet of retail space.[94] The redevelopment also comes with plans to replace the existing AirTrain monorail system, scheduled to open in 2024, and was not opened along with the new Terminal A.[54]
21 gates are primarily being used by United Airlines, although Air Canada, American Airlines, and JetBlue also operate out of the new Terminal A. Later in the year Delta will operate out of the terminal. The remaining 12 gates will be commissioned prior to the end of 2023.[95] Modern technology currently at the terminal includes the use of e-Gates. The terminal's design has also been modernized.[95] The terminal's design has been noted its art from local artists, art on digital columns, a new variety of restaurants and stores, and easy access to power outlets. The terminal was designed to fit New Jersey's "Garden State"(the state's nickname) image.[92] The new terminal also has a designated section for Uber's and Lyft's, public transportation, and taxis.[95][96]
In Terminal B, ticket counters are on the top floor, except for the second-floor
Alaska Airlines,
Aer Lingus,
Delta Air Lines and
Spirit Airlines counters and first-floor
British Airways,
LEVEL, and
Icelandair. Baggage carousels are on the first floor for domestic arrivals and on the second floor for international arrivals. Terminal B also has an international arrivals lounge on the second floor.[98] Gates and shops are on the third floor. The B3 concourse of the terminal has the Lufthansa Business Lounge.[99]
In 2008, Terminal B was renovated to increase capacity for departing passengers and passenger comfort. The renovations included expanding and updating the ticketing areas, building a new departure level for domestic flights and building a new arrivals hall.[100] In January 2012, Port Authority executive director Patrick Foye said $350 million would be spent on Terminal B, addressing complaints by passengers that they cannot move freely.[101] Further developments were made to Terminal B when the Port Authority installed new LED fixtures in 2014. The LED fixtures developed by Sensity Systems, use
wireless network capabilities to collect and feed data into the software that can spot long lines, recognize license plates, and identify suspicious activity and alert the appropriate staff.[102] The full renovation of Terminal B was complete by May 2014.[101]
Terminal C
Terminal C viewed from above
Terminal C, designed by
Grad Associates[103] was completed in 1988. Terminal C is exclusively operated by and for
United Airlines and its regional carrier
United Express for their global hub at EWR. The terminal has two ticketing levels, one for international check-in and one for domestic check-in. The main terminal building for Terminal C was built alongside Terminals A and B in the 1970s, but lay dormant until
People Express Airlines took it over as a replacement for the former North Terminal when the airline's hub there outgrew the old facility.[104]
The Global Bazaar inside of Terminal C
From 1998 to 2003, Terminal C was rebuilt and expanded in a $1.2 billion program known as the
Continental Airlines Global Gateway Project.[105][106] The project, which was designed by
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill,[105] doubled the available space for outbound travelers as the former baggage claim/arrivals hall was remodeled and turned into a second departures level. Probably most significant was the addition of International Concourse C-3, a spacious and airy new facility with capacity for a maximum of 19 narrowbody aircraft (or 12 widebody planes). Completion of this new concourse increased Terminal C's mainline jet gates to 57. Concomitant with Concourse C-3 is a new international arrivals facility. Also included in the project are a 3,400-space parking garage constructed in front of the terminal, a new airside corridor connecting Concourses C-1, C-2, and C-3, a new President's Club — now called United Polaris Lounge — for international Polaris Business and Polaris First flights between C-2 and C-3, and all-new baggage processing facilities, including reconstruction of the former underground parking area into a new baggage claim and arrivals hall.[107][108]
In November 2014, airport amenity manager OTG announced a $120 million renovation plan for Terminal C that included installing 6,000
iPads and 55 new restaurants headed by celebrity chefs, with the first new restaurants opening in summer of 2015 and the whole project completed in 2016.[109] In 2019, Terminal C was named 'Best for Foodies' in the nation by Fodor's Travel Awards.[110] The C1 concourse of Terminal C has Classified, which is an invite-only eatery for United Airlines customers.[111]
Former Terminals
North Terminal (1953—1997)
The North Terminal opened in 1953.[23] Former Terminal A and present Terminal B opened in 1973, although some charter and international flights requiring customs clearance remained at the North Terminal prior to the opening of two new terminals.[35] Following significant expansion at EWR,
People Express Airlines made a deal with the Port Authority to use the North Terminal as its air terminal and corporate office in 1981 and began operations at Newark that April.[36] When People Express merged with
Continental Airlines in 1987, operations at the North Terminal were reduced. In 1997, the North Terminal was closed and then demolished making place for new cargo facilities.[38]
In Terminal A, ticket counters were on the top floor, baggage carousels were on the second floor, and parking was on the first floor. There was one
United Club in Terminal A's second concourse (A2). Gates and shops were on the third floor. It also had an Admirals Club for American Airlines and a Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge.[114] Terminal A was the only terminal that had no immigration facilities; flights arriving from other countries could not use Terminal A (except countries with
U.S. customs preclearance), although some departing international flights used the terminal.[115] In 2016, the Port Authority approved and announced a redevelopment plan to build a new Terminal A replacing this one.[116] The former Terminal A was closed to the public, and replaced with the new Terminal A on January 12, 2023.[117]
Ground transportation
Train
A New Jersey Transit train at the Newark Airport train station
In September 2012, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that work would commence on a study to explore extending the
PATH system to the station.[119] The new station would be located at ground level to the west of the existing NJ Transit station.[120] In 2014, the Board of Commissioners approved a formal proposal to extend the PATH to Newark Airport.[121] On January 11, 2017, the PANYNJ released its 10-year capital plan that included $1.7 billion for the extension. Under the plan, construction is projected to start in 2020, with service in 2026.[122][123]
In January 2019,
New Jersey GovernorPhil Murphy announced a plan for a $2 billion replacement project for AirTrain Newark. Murphy has stated that replacement is necessary because the system is reaching the end of its projected 25-year life and is subject to persistent delays and breakdowns. The Port Authority would be responsible for funding the project.[124] In October 2019, the Port Authority board approved the replacement project with an estimated cost of $2.05 billion.[125] Construction is expected to start in late 2022. The testing of the new system expected to start 2025. It is expected to go into service in 2026 and the old monorail will be demolished.[126]
In addition,
United Airlines has a bus service to
Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE).[134]Continental Airlines, which later merged into United, previously operated flights from
Newark to
Allentown but switched to a bus service in 1995 due to constant delays from
air traffic control.[135] The distance is 79 miles (127 km) and the service is offered three times daily.[136]Trans-Bridge Lines goes to Newark directly from Lehigh Valley International Airport for those who do not book a flight from ABE to EWR.[137] Trans-Bridge Lines also goes to EWR from on the Allentown-Clinton-New York eastbound and westbound route using both ABE and the Allentown Bus Terminal in Allentown,
Clinton's Park and Ride, and the
Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York with several stops in Lehigh and
Northampton counties.[138][139]
Road
A map of the Newark Airport Interchange
Private limousine, car service, and taxis also provide service to/from the airport. Taxis serving the airport charge a flat rate based on destination. For trips to/from New York, fares are set by the
New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.[140]
The airport operates short and long term parking lots with shuttle buses and monorail access to the terminals. The Port Authority's electric shuttle bus fleet comprising 36 buses and 19 chargers, was completed during October 2020, at Newark, John F. Kennedy International, and LaGuardia airports.[143] A free
cellphone lot waiting area is available for drivers picking up passengers at the airport.[144]
Newark Airport, along with
LaGuardia and
JFK airports, uses a uniform style of signage throughout the airport properties. Yellow signs direct passengers to airline gates, ticketing and other flight services; green signs direct passengers to ground transportation services and black signs lead to restrooms, telephones and other passenger amenities. Former
New York City traffic reporter
Bernie Wagenblast provides the voice for the airport's radio station and curbside announcements, as well as the messages heard onboard
AirTrain Newark and in its stations.[211]
The airport has the
IATA airport codeEWR, rather than a designation that begins with the letter 'N' because the designator of "NEW" is already assigned to
Lakefront Airport in
New Orleans, LA. Also the Department of the Navy uses three-letter identifiers beginning with N for its purposes.[212]
Accidents and incidents
On March 17, 1929, a Colonial Western Airlines
Ford Tri-Motor suffered a double engine failure during its initial climb after takeoff, failed to gain height, and crashed into a railroad freight car loaded with sand, killing 14 of the 15 people on board. At the time, it was the deadliest aviation accident in American history.[213]
On May 4, 1947, Union Southern Airlines, a
Douglas DC-3 with 12 passengers and crew, crashed on landing at Newark after overrunning the runway and into a ditch where it burned. Two crewmembers were killed.[215]
On April 18, 1979, a
New York Airways commuter helicopter on a routine flight to
LaGuardia Airport and
John F. Kennedy International Airport plunged 150 feet (46 m) into the area between Runways 4L/22R and 4R/22L, killing three passengers and injuring 15. It was later determined the crash was due to a failure in the helicopter's tail rotor.[217]
On March 30, 1983, a
Learjet 23 operated by Hughes Charter Air, a night check courier flight, crashed on landing at EWR during an unstabilized approach. Both crewmembers were killed.
Marijuana was later found in their systems, impairing judgement.[218]
On July 31, 1997,
FedEx Flight 14, a
McDonnell Douglas MD-11, crashed while landing after a flight from
Anchorage International Airport. The Number 3 engine contacted the runway during a rough landing, which caused the aircraft to flip upside down. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. The two crewmembers and three passengers escaped uninjured.[219][220]
On January 10, 2010,
United Airlines Flight 634, an
Airbus A319, made an emergency landing after the aircraft's right main landing gear failed to deploy. No passengers or crew members were injured during the landing.[221] The aircraft sustained substantial damage in the accident.[222][223]
On March 2, 2019,
Southwest Airlines Flight 6, a
Boeing 737-700 registration N918WN, struck the tail of Southwest Flight 3133, a Boeing 737-700 parked at Gate A15 bound for
Nashville, while taxiing to the runway. The incident is under review and both Southwest planes (N493WN and N918WN) were taken out of service for review. There were no injuries reported.[226]
On June 15, 2019,
United Airlines Flight 627, a
Boeing 757-200 registration N26123, suffered fuselage damage on the nose landing gear from a hard landing. The aircraft reportedly skidded to the left side of runway 22L and the left main landing gear veered into the grass. Although no notable injuries were reported, the airport went into a complete
ground stop, and flights were diverted to other airports. The 22-year old aircraft was written off after the incident. United Airlines said there was no deaths or severe injuries.[227]
On September 22, 2022, a United Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N787UA, on a flight to
Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport, suffered from sparks coming out of its left engine. The airplane returned to Newark and landed safely, but was damaged. There were no injuries reported to the plane's crew or passengers.[228]
^
ab"Delay Reduction Plan (DRP)". New York Area Program Integration Office (NYAPIO). Federal Aviation Administration.
Archived from the original on August 9, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^"SuperShuttle". booking.supershuttle.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
^"
UnitedArchived October 27, 2016, at the
Wayback Machine." Lehigh Valley International Airport. Retrieved on October 27, 2016. "Non Stop to:[...]Newark"
^"Blue Friday Deal" (Press release). La Compagnie. November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021. ...starting April 15, 2022, travelers will have access to direct service between New York and the fashion capital of the world, Milan, with five flights per week from Newark International Airport (EWR) to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP).
^Aviation Department.
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