Washington, United States – The United States experienced significant disruptions to air traffic. Nearly 7,000 flights were delayed on Monday due to a surge in air traffic controller absences as the federal government shutdown entered its 27th day.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a staffing shortage. This led to ground delay programs affecting airports such as Newark, New Jersey, Austin, Texas, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Flights in the Southeast were also affected by staffing shortages at the Radar Approach Control Center at Atlanta.
Approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees have been working without pay since the shutdown began. This is the result of a budget deadlock between Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats.
Airlines reported widespread delays. 34% of Southwest, 29% of American, 22% of Delta, and 19% of United flights were delayed by 11:30 p.m. Monday, according to FlightAware. About 44% of Sunday’s delays were attributed to air traffic controller absences, compared to 5% under normal circumstances.
These delays and cancellations underscore the mounting public frustration and pressure on lawmakers to end the shutdown. The air traffic controllers’ union is preparing to hold events on Tuesday to highlight the missing first paycheck.
