Gov. Phil Murphy has asked that the Newark and the New York region be prioritized for technology and facility upgrades amid massive delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport in recent weeks. Murphy wrote to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, supporting his plans for increasing hiring and training of air traffic controllers and requesting immediate relief at the airport. “I sent a letter to Duffy supporting his pretty aggressive program to get air traffic controllers and to find ways for Congress to invest in 21st century infrastructure for the FAA and imploring him to help Newark out in the short term,” Murphy said in an interview Monday afternoon. Travelers using Newark airport have had a nightmarish few days after United Airlines, the airport’s largest carrier cut 35 flights from its daily schedule, citing continuing air traffic controller staffing issues, and technological problems that affected airport operations. The airline on Monday urged customers to consider switching to other airports as the delays and cancellations persisted. On Monday, rainy and cloudy weather was blamed for almost 4-hour delays for inbound flights, 31-minute delays for departures, and 161 canceled flights as of 6 p.m., according to FlightAware. In the letter, Murphy urged Duffy and the FAA to “prioritize the region, the busiest airspace in the nation, by immediately addressing Philadelphia TRACON Area C staffing levels and developing a plan to address chronic staffing shortages at New York TRACON.” Philadelpia TRACON manages air traffic control in the airspace surrounding Newark Liberty. “Decades of underinvestment in the maintenance of critical air traffic control infrastructure, delays in upgrading to modern 21st century air traffic control technology, and inadequate air traffic control staffing have resulted in a frail system nationwide,” Murphy wrote in the letter. Last year, the FAA moved some of the air traffic control for Newark Airport from New York air traffic control to Philadelphia to handle increasing air traffic at Newark. “This move of a critical mass of air traffic controllers from Long Island to Philadelphia was meant to be a big positive,” Murphy said. “I remember United (Airlines) was very supportive of this. Obviously, this hasn’t worked out in the way folks anticipated or had hoped.” In a statement, FAA officials said frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers. “Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages,” officials said. “While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace.” Officials warned that could affect air traffic. “When staffing or equipment issues occur, the FAA will ensure safety by slowing the rate of arrivals into the airport. We will keep the public updated as we work through these issues,” officials said. In his letter, Murphy cited the FAA and said American airspace is short 3,000 air traffic controllers and thanked Duffy for his efforts in retaining and hiring new controllers. Murphy said he talked to Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials about the airport and United’s CEO. “We’re monitoring this very closely.” Murphy said. “I’m hoping this gets us to a calmer, better place.” Murphy said in his letter that more than 144 million passengers come through airports operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey annually and that he expects millions more next year as the state prepares to host the World Cup Finals. “We expect millions of additional passengers next year as we prepare to host the World Cup Finals and must avoid additional disruptions or strains on the system,” Murphy wrote.