Several times over the last year, Newark controllers lost radar or radio service, leaving them unable to talk with planes they were tracking.

A deadly midair collision in January between a military helicopter and a commercial airliner, several additional crashes and technical problems that resulted in mass cancellations at New Jersey's biggest airport have prompted officials to pledge a fix for the nation’s outdated air traffic control system and vow to hire more controllers.

Air-traffic controllers in Philadelphia manage the complex, busy airspace surrounding Newark. Their system for processing radar data is based in New York.The FAA said