Having a construction project completed early always is a good thing. And when it’s a project involving a runway at Newark Airport — which recently had a mass of cancellations and delays because of the work — it’s even better.
Just don’t expect to see an immediate impact.
Newark Airport will not immediately add more capacity because the work was completed on time. Due to advance scheduling needs, passengers won’t see the benefit of that until mid-month — or the original date of completion, Jon Gooda, the vice president at United Airlines who serves as the head of airport operations at Newark Liberty International Airport, said.
The immediate benefit of completing the work early will be slight.
“What having that extra runway back does for us is that increases the capacity of the airfield,” Gooda said. “Taxi times will be shorter, for example. And depending on weather conditions and the wind which way we’re operating that day, it will just help us operate better.
Gooda said the first increase in capacity won’t be seen until June 16, when the airport will be up to 68 flights an hour (34 in; 34 out).
Gooda, in an exclusive interview with BINJE (see full story here), said he hopes capacity will increase throughout the summer and the rest of the year. The airport was at 77 flights per hour last summer.
Unfortunately for travelers, work on the runway was just one of the reasons for the recent meltdown. Other technology and staffing issues still need to be addressed.
“Would we like to see capacity increase over time? Absolutely — and I think it will,” Gooda said. “Improvements in infrastructure and staffing will help, but, for now, matching what the airport can handle with the volume we’re putting through here has led to an operation that’s running really well again.”
The completion of the runway has another long-term benefit: Newark will not have to do it again for many years.
“It’s a once in every 10-year process,” Gooda said.
Newark’s other runway was worked on in 2021 — though few noticed due to the fact flights were down considerably due to the pandemic.
