Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) is one of the three major airports serving the New York metropolitan area, lying on the boundary of Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, close to Manhattan. It is a designated hub for United Airlines and FedEx Express, operating under full air traffic control within busy Class B airspace, making it a demanding but historically significant destination for simulator pilots.
Newark Liberty International Airport sits on reclaimed marshland straddling Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, and is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It is the second-busiest airport in the New York airport system after John F. Kennedy International, and is United Airlines' largest hub by available seat miles as well as a major FedEx Express base. For a simulator pilot it offers a classic heavy-jet Class B environment within sight of the Manhattan skyline, combined with a strong sense of aviation history as one of the first purpose-built commercial airports in the United States.
The airport lies within controlled Class B airspace serving the New York metropolitan area, approximately 4.5 miles south of downtown Newark and about 9 miles west-southwest of Manhattan. It is situated near the junction of Interstate 95 and Interstate 78, close to Port Newark, and forms part of the same complex of major airports as JFK and LaGuardia. All arrivals and departures are handled under full air traffic control given the density of surrounding traffic and airspace.
Newark Liberty has three physical runways. Runway 04L/22R is a hard-surfaced, lit runway available in both directions with ILS, measuring 8,459 ft from threshold 04L and 9,559 ft from threshold 22R. Runway 04R/22L is also hard-surfaced, lit and equipped with ILS on both ends, at 8,813 ft from 04R and 8,209 ft from 22L. Runway 11/29 is a shorter hard-surfaced, lit runway of 6,717 ft from 11, which carries ILS, and 6,494 ft from 29, which does not.
Newark is served by a full suite of air traffic control frequencies. New York Approach operates on 127.6 MHz and New York Departure on 119.2 MHz. The airport ATIS broadcasts on 115.7 MHz. Clearance Delivery is on 118.85 MHz, Ground on 121.8 MHz, and Tower on 118.3 MHz. A UNICOM frequency is also published on 122.95 MHz. All three runways are equipped with ILS with the exception of runway 29.
As a major Class B international airport, all traffic at Newark Liberty operates under positive air traffic control rather than any published VFR circuit pattern; arrivals and departures are sequenced by New York Approach and Departure in coordination with the tower. There is no informal joining procedure for light aircraft, and pilots should expect to fly the airport under IFR or with specific ATC clearance and sequencing throughout the Class B airspace.
The airport lies within clear view of the Manhattan skyline and the George Washington Bridge, both prominent landmarks visible from the airport's control tower and useful for orientation on approach from the east. The Statue of Liberty, from which the airport takes half its name, lies some seven miles to the east.
Newark Airport was built by the City of Newark on 68 acres of reclaimed marshland alongside Port Newark and opened on October 1, 1928, as Newark Metropolitan Airport, becoming the first major airport serving the New York metropolitan area and the first commercial airport in the United States with a paved runway. The nation's first air traffic control tower and airport weather station opened there in 1930, and the Art Deco Administration Building, decorated with murals by Arshile Gorky, was dedicated by Amelia Earhart in 1935 as the country's first purpose-built passenger terminal; it later became a National Register of Historic Places listing in 1980. The Brewster Hangar, built in 1937 to 1938 and also on the National Register, was among the most advanced hangars of its era and now serves as a museum. Newark became the first airport to permit night operations after runway lighting was installed in 1952. The airport was operated by the Army Air Corps during the Second World War before the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey took over the facility in 1948, adding an instrument runway, a new terminal, a new control tower and an air cargo centre. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, during which hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 departed from Newark, the airport was renamed Newark Liberty International Airport in 2002 in tribute to the victims and to the nearby Statue of Liberty.
Newark Liberty remains one of the busiest airports in the United States, recording over 47 million passengers and close to 400,000 aircraft operations in 2025. It serves around 50 carriers and is the principal hub for United Airlines, which accounts for roughly 63 percent of passenger traffic, alongside a major FedEx Express cargo operation. The airport continues to undergo significant redevelopment, including new terminal facilities and a planned replacement of the AirTrain Newark people-mover system.
