Air travel was supposed to be just one part of Niraj Chokshi’s assignment at The Times. But then the pandemic started a wave of news that hasn’t really stopped.

Jonathan Stewart was badly shaken by a recent close call in airspace around Newark, N.J. “I don’t want to be responsible for killing 400 people,” he said in an interview.

A veteran air-traffic controller at the facility that handles flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport is calling for more resources and speaking out about the intense pressures workers face amid a staffing shortage and tech outages.