Flight delays as US air traffic controllers feel strain of government shutdown | US federal government shutdown 2025

Main US airports continued to see flight delays on Tuesday as air site visitors management amenities wrestle to take care of staffing amid the federal authorities shutdown.Shortages on Monday affected main airports round New York, Los Angeles and Denver on Monday, with over 6,000 flights delayed throughout the US.The air site visitors management facility dealing with the Hollywood Burbank airport in Los Angeles utterly closed on Monday afternoon into Monday night amid staffing shortages.Whereas different authorities employees are furloughed in the course of the shutdown, air site visitors controllers are thought-about important employees and should proceed working with out pay in the course of the shutdown.On Monday, the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, informed reporters that the airspace was nonetheless secure for vacationers, although a barely larger variety of controllers have known as out sick because the shutdown started.“Do I believe they’re extra confused proper now in our towers? Sure. Is our airspace unsafe? No,” he mentioned.Some amenities have seen their staffing decreased, and Duffy confused that if the division believed there have been points within the airspace, “we’ll shut down, we’ll shut it down, we’ll delay”.In a press release, the Nationwide Air Site visitors Controllers Affiliation union, which represents 20,000 air site visitors controllers, mentioned that the controllers might work “10 hours a day, 6 days per week to ensure [flights] and their treasured passengers and cargo arrives safely”.“A authorities shutdown provides pointless distraction to their work, including pressure on a workforce that’s already stretched skinny working 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, working probably the most advanced airspace on this planet,” the assertion mentioned, noting that over the past authorities shutdown in 2019, many controllers needed to “take second jobs to feed their households and pay their payments – resulting in stress and fatigue”.Along with shortages amongst air site visitors controllers, the federal government shutdown additionally impacts the Important Air Service program, which helps business airways keep providers to smaller airports. Duffy mentioned there was a possible that funding underneath the shutdown might begin to dry up.“There’s many small communities throughout the nation that may now not have the sources to ensure they’ve air service of their communities,” he mentioned. “Each state throughout the nation might be impacted if this system runs out of cash.”The federal government shutdown started final Monday after Republicans and Democrats within the Senate hit an deadlock over funding.Although Republicans have a slight majority within the Senate, they want 60 out of 100 votes to cross a funding invoice. Democrats mentioned they’d not cross a invoice that doesn’t embrace concessions round healthcare. Republican leaders mentioned they won’t negotiate till funding is restored.