Staffing shortages hit Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Thursday, triggering delays of an hour or more. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alert says there is a lack of staff in Philadelphia Area C, which is a sector of controlled airspace that many flights to and from Newark and other Northeast airports must pass through. This airspace is managed by air traffic controllers who are responsible for sequencing and separating aircraft safely as they pass through the sector at altitudes ranging from the surface up to high cruising levels.