FAA says air traffic controller staffing issues cause delays amid shutdown

A large absence of air traffic controllers across the country are causing thousands of flight delays, as the government shutdown stretches onto its 20th day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday.  

About 7,850 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were delayed on Sunday, according to FlightAware. Over 1,000 flights have been delayed so far on Monday. 

FAA has chalked up delays in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Newark over the weekend to staffing issues, according to Reuters. The FAA also noted possible delays in Las Vegas and Phoenix due to shortages. 

“As [Transportation] Secretary [Sean] Duffy has said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system. When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations,” a FAA spokesperson told The Hill. 

On Sunday, delays were also caused by weather issues and this year’s Formula 1 in Austin, Reuters reported.

Duffy said on Fox Business earlier this month that 53 percent of flight delays were caused by staffing issues, a stark comparison to the usual five percent.

Roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents are working without pay through the shutdown.

Experts in recent days have warned of more flight delays as it is common for airport staff to take sick days when they are working without pay, as illustrated by the 2019 government shutdown. 

Throughout the shutdown, the Trump administration has aired videos in some airports placing blame on Democrats for not reopening the federal government. A lot of airports have refused to play these videos. 

The current shutdown is the third longest in American history.