The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has had to implement a ground stop at Newark Airport due to staffing shortages linked to the ongoing government shutdown.
An advisory released at 3:32 p.m. ET indicates that the ground delay program, which prevents flights from taking off at their departure points, will remain active until at least 10:59 p.m.
The FAA reports that the maximum delay could extend up to 87 minutes, with an average delay of 40 minutes. The reason for these disruptions is attributed to “staffing” issues.
As a result of the government shutdown, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are not receiving pay, leading to a significant rise in sick leave and absenteeism.
Today, nearly 3,000 flights across the country experienced delays, along with over 130 cancellations, as the political deadlock between Republicans and Democrats persists.
Newark Airport, the nation’s eighth-busiest, is particularly affected by these issues. It has been grappling with staffing and technological problems even before the current shutdown.
ATC workers and TSA agents are considered essential, required to work despite not receiving paychecks. During shutdowns, absenteeism rises as many struggle to afford gas and childcare.
The crisis is deepening as the shutdown enters its 29th day, the second-longest in history and closing in on the 35-day record.
United Airlines planes are seen at the tarmac at Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., May 7
Traders on online prediction markets like Kalshi are betting the government shutdown will last 47 days — just short of the Thanksgiving travel rush.
Flight delays soared to 8,600 on Sunday, with around 44 percent attributed to ATC staffing issues — compared to the usual 5 percent.
The scandal continued on Monday as nearly 7,000 flights were delayed.
The FAA cited staffing shortages and imposed ground delay programs affecting Newark, Austin Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas.
Flights in the Southeast were delayed earlier because of significant staffing shortages at the Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control.
The Trump administration has warned flight disruptions will increase as controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday.
The mounting delays and cancellations are fueling public frustration and intensifying scrutiny of the shutdown’s impact, raising pressure on lawmakers to resolve the standoff.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was in Cleveland meeting with controllers on Monday, while the National Air Traffic Controllers Association union held events at numerous airports on Tuesday to highlight the first missed paycheck.
During an appearance on the Fox News program ‘Sunday Morning Futures,’ Duffy said more controllers were calling in sick as money worries compound the stress of an already challenging job.
‘Just yesterday, … we had 22 staffing triggers. That’s one of the highest that we have seen in the system since the shutdown began. And that’s a sign that the controllers are wearing thin,’ he said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that ATC workers are ‘forced’ to take on second jobs like ‘driving for Uber’ in order to ‘make ends meet’.
‘With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, we are nearing the busiest travel period of the entire year, when millions of Americans will go to airports to spend time with their loved ones,’ Leavitt said on Thursday.
‘If the Democrats continue to keep the government closed we fear there will be significant flight delays, disruptions and cancellations in major airports across the country this holiday season.’
The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day workweeks even before the shutdown.
In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by controllers and TSA officers rose as workers missed paychecks, extending wait times at some airport checkpoints. Authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington.
