Air travel delays are being experienced at airports in New York, Washington, Newark, and Houston due to air traffic control staffing challenges, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The ongoing U.S. government shutdown, now in its 23rd day, has led to staffing problems at 10 different locations, causing ground stops at Houston Bush and Newark airports. Flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are facing an average delay of 31 minutes, while delays at New York LaGuardia are averaging 62 minutes.
Approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are working without pay during the shutdown. FlightAware, a flight tracking website, reported over 4,200 delayed U.S. flights on Thursday, with more than 15% of flights delayed at Reagan, Newark, and LaGuardia, and 13% at Bush airports.
Officials are concerned that controller absences may rise over the weekend, particularly as they approach missing their first full paycheck on Tuesday. The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, expressed worries about potential significant flight disruptions during the holiday season across major airports in the country.
The blame game continues between Democrats and U.S. President Donald Trump, with each side accusing the other for the shutdown. Air traffic control has emerged as a pivotal issue in the shutdown debate, with unions and airlines advocating for a swift resolution. In a similar incident during a 35-day shutdown in 2019, absences among controllers and TSA officers increased as paychecks were missed, leading to extended checkpoint wait times and air traffic slowdowns in New York and Washington, prompting lawmakers to end the impasse.
The FAA is currently short of about 3,500 air traffic controllers from its desired staffing levels, with many controllers already working extensive hours even before the shutdown.