On Tuesday, October 7th, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States issued a notice stating that some government agencies have been shut down for the seventh day, and the absence of air traffic controllers has been affecting flights at airports for the second consecutive day.
According to the FAA, there have been delays in some flights at Nashville International Airport in Tennessee and Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Flights arriving at Newark Airport have been delayed by up to 30 minutes.
The FAA also reported staffing issues at the air traffic control center in Atlanta, Georgia, and indicated that the number of arriving flights per hour at Chicago O’Hare Airport may need to be reduced.
Additionally, severe weather conditions have been impacting flights across the United States.
During the government shutdown, approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials are required to work without pay. It is anticipated that air traffic controllers will receive partial pay on October 14th.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated on Monday that since the government shutdown last week, there has been a slight increase in the number of air traffic controllers calling in sick, with some regions experiencing a 50% reduction in staffing.
Duffy appeared on Fox News’ program “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday, stating, “If we don’t have air traffic controllers working, we would slow down air traffic to ensure airspace safety.”
Flight tracking website FlightAware reported that on Tuesday, more than 2,300 flights across the United States were delayed, with around 200 flights delayed in Nashville, accounting for 20% of its total flights.
During the 35-day government shutdown in 2019 under President Trump, air traffic controllers and TSA government employees, who were not receiving pay, saw an increase in absences, leading to extended wait times at security checkpoints at some airports. Authorities were forced to reduce air traffic in New York, putting pressure on members of Congress to quickly resolve the deadlock.
Currently, the government shutdown has entered its seventh day with no apparent signs of ending.