US govt shutdown pushes air traffic control to the brink

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States said on Sunday that air traffic control staffing issues were delaying travel at airports in Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and Newark as a US government shutdown hit its 19th day.

The FAA said staffing triggers had been received for the evening shift and flights could also be delayed in Las Vegas and Phoenix because of air traffic control absences.

FlightAware said more than 5,800 flights had been delayed on Sunday. Weather issues and a Formula 1 race were also impacting flights.

More than 20 percent of American Airlines and Southwest Airlines flights were delayed Sunday, according to FlightAware.

Earlier this month, over 23,000 flights were delayed over a week. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said 53 percent of flight delays were due to staffing issues compared with 5 percent normally, but staffing issues have improved over the last week.

One of the biggest disruptions so far may have been felt at Hollywood Burbank Airport on Oct 6 when its air traffic control tower was left unmanned for a few hours.

Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work during the government shutdown, but are not being paid.

Air traffic control has become a flashpoint in the debate over the shutdown with both parties blaming the other. Unions and airlines have urged a quick end to the standoff.

The Trump administration is airing videos at some airport security checkpoints blaming Democrats, but many airports have refused to run them.

In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers rose as workers missed paychecks, extending checkpoint wait times at some airports.

The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.

Aviation unions warned that the situation may get worse if the shutdown continues long enough for workers to miss more paychecks.

"We need to bring this shutdown to a close so that the FAA and the committed aviation safety professionals can put this distraction aside and focus completely on their vital work," said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

Julian Kheel, CEO and travel expert at Points Path, told New York-based travel publication Afar that if the shutdown drags into the holiday rush, it could easily result in chaos.

"Thanksgiving and Christmas are already the busiest travel periods of the year, and the system runs near capacity even in normal times. If staffing levels remain strained, a single storm or tech glitch could cause nationwide ripple effects that ruin travel plans for millions."

Agencies Via Xinhua