The ongoing government shutdown, now dragging into its 20th day, has resulted in a significant shortage of air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported on Monday. This deficit is causing widespread flight delays across the country.
According to FlightAware, around 7,850 flights within, into, or out of the United States experienced delays on Sunday. Monday has already seen over 1,000 flights delayed, further highlighting the growing problem.
Key airports in cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Newark have been particularly affected by these staffing issues, as reported by Reuters. The FAA has also indicated potential delays in Las Vegas and Phoenix due to similar shortages.
“As Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has noted, there is an increase in staffing shortages nationwide,” a spokesperson for the FAA shared with The Hill. “In such instances, the FAA is compelled to slow down traffic entering certain airports to maintain safe operations.”
Weather conditions and the Austin Formula 1 event also contributed to delays on Sunday, according to Reuters. However, the primary concern remains staffing. Earlier this month, Secretary Duffy mentioned on Fox Business that 53 percent of flight delays were attributed to staffing shortages, a steep rise from the usual five percent typically caused by such issues.
Duffy said on Fox Business earlier this month that 53 percent of flight delays were caused by staffing issues, a stark comparison to the usual five percent.
Roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents are working without pay through the shutdown.
Experts in recent days have warned of more flight delays as it is common for airport staff to take sick days when they are working without pay, as illustrated by the 2019 government shutdown.
Throughout the shutdown, the Trump administration has aired videos in some airports placing blame on Democrats for not reopening the federal government. A lot of airports have refused to play these videos.
The current shutdown is the third longest in American history.
