A recent report included MacArthur Airport and other area airports in its negative assessment of the status of air traffic control.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association released a report claiming there aren't enough controllers in the country and the equipment is lacking. The report said there have been a large number of "near-misses" in the past couple of weeks.

According to the report, an ongoing contract dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration has caused scores of controllers to retire. This forces current staff to work 10-hour shifts, six days a week, the union said. The union also said the number of air traffic controllers nationwide dropped to 11,000 in May, the lowest number in a decade.

FAA spokesperson Jim Peters said there is no staffing shortage.

"We have the right number of controllers working at our facilities in the New York area to safely handle the traffic," Peters said.

The FAA also said it has known for some time that 72 percent of controllers are eligible for retirement within the next 10 years. Peters added the contract imposed during the dispute is saving taxpayers approximately $2 billion over five years.