By Rajesh Kumar Singh CHICAGO (Reuters) -United Airlines is facing a financial hit and potential long-term reputational harm as flight delays and cancellations pile up due to ongoing disruptions at Newark airport - one of its largest hubs and among the busiest in the country.

Staff shortages and equipment failures at Newark Liberty International Airport have raised safety concerns in recent weeks.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says a new software update prevented a third radar outage over the last two weeks at New Jersey's busy Newark airport when a telecommunications line failed again over the weekend.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby reassured customers that Newark Airport is "absolutely safe" for travel in an email sent on Monday.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to reduce the number of flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport for the "next several weeks."

Newark Liberty International Airport is facing another FAA-imposed ground delay due to staffing shortages, after a telecommunications issue led to delays on Sunday.

Operations have since returned to normal at Newark Liberty International Airport, but over 150 flights traveling to and from Newark were delayed, and more than 80 were canceled as of Sunday afternoon.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday it will propose flight cuts at Newark Liberty International Airport, citing air traffic controller staffing, runway construction and equipment issues.

Greg Raiff, founder and CEO of Elevate Aviation Group, told Fox News Digital that under-invested infrastructure and major staffing shortages are disrupting flights at EWR, and the immediate solution is to decrease the number of flights while increasing recruitment.