Shutdown-triggered staffing shortages delay flights, raise safety concerns in US

ANKARA

The ongoing US federal government shutdown is causing widespread flight delays and raising concerns about air travel safety, media reported on Friday.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told a news conference in Philadelphia that air traffic control staffing shortages have accounted for up to 53 percent of daily flight delays, according to CNN.

“On average, 5% of delays are linked to staffing,” the news outlet quoted Duffy as saying, adding: “But some days, we’ve gone as high as 53%.”

Twelve air traffic control facilities were short-staffed Friday, including control towers in Dallas Fort Worth, Newark and Phoenix.

Other affected sites included approach and departure control centers in Houston and Southern California, and high-altitude flight centers near Atlanta, Denver and New York.

Since the shutdown began, 222 staffing shortages have been reported —more than four times the number from the same period last year.

Air traffic controllers, roughly 10,800 federal employees, are still required to work despite receiving no pay.

“Their paycheck is going to be a big fat zero,” Duffy said, adding that the financial stress affects job performance.

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, warned: “Each day the shutdown continues, tomorrow becomes less safe than today.”

The first full $0 paychecks are scheduled to be issued on Oct. 28, while partial payments were made on Oct. 14 for hours worked before the shutdown.

Duffy stated that if staffing issues continue, the Federal Aviation Administration may slow operations or cancel flights entirely.

“Safety comes first,” he said. “We will reduce takeoffs and landings, or cancel flights if we don’t have enough controllers.”

Facilities in Austin, Chicago-O’Hare, Nashville, Reagan National, Los Angeles and others also reported shortages this week.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s training academy is also at risk, as future air traffic controllers may soon go unpaid. “They’re walking away,” Duffy said. “It could be cataclysmic.”

The US needs about 3,000 additional controllers, according to the agency.