Should Newark Airport close until air traffic control upgrades are made? Experts and officials debate safety and the economic impact.

Over the past two weeks, several equipment outages at the Philadelphia-based air traffic control center that guides planes to and from Newark Liberty International Airport, have raised questions on just how safe it is to fly at one of the nation’s busiest airports.

The shortage on Monday forced the F.A.A. to delay flights to the busy airport for up to nearly seven hours, the latest problem to plague the airport.