The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday it's easing limits on the number of hourly flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, and the airport's operator said that should lead to greater competition and lower airfares.
The limits at Newark Liberty, which serves the New York City region and is one of the busiest airports in the nation, were put in place in 2008 to reduce congestion and delays. They restricted flight operations during peak times to 81 per hour.
The FAA said arrival and departure delays have decreased significantly since then. It also said the number of scheduled flights has been well below the limits and Newark's runways can handle more flights.
For example, on-time arrivals increased by 11 percent since 2007, and mean arrival and departure delays were down by about 33 percent, the FAA said. Delays greater than an hour were down 37 percent for arrivals and 38 percent for departures. However, the past year has had much better weather, leading to fewer delays across the nation.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark Liberty and the region's other main transit hubs, said lifting the restrictions could lead to lower airfares for passengers