Baltimore: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended nationwide flight delays for a third consecutive day, affecting major airports such as Reagan Washington National and Newark Liberty International, as higher-than-normal staffing shortages continue to strain US air traffic operations.
By 5:30 p.m. ET (2130 GMT), nearly 3,000 flights were delayed, following a combined 10,000 delays recorded. Many of these disruptions have been directly linked to air traffic controller absences, which have worsened as the federal government shutdown entered its eighth day.
The FAA confirmed that several flights at Reagan National were forced to hold in the air due to reduced air traffic capacity. US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that, “Historically, about 5 percent of flight delays are related to staffing in our towers. Over the last couple of days, that number has soared to 53 percent.”
Officials say this year’s staffing crisis has hit faster than during the 2019 government shutdown, which occurred under Donald Trump and lasted 35 days. The earlier onset of shortages has caused ripple effects across major US cities, with air traffic control centres reporting increased stress and absenteeism.
Duffy added that, “The bottom line is these controllers are stressed out, and they’re rebelling on this shutdown because they may not get paid.” At Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and several Democratic lawmakers called for an immediate end to the shutdown, emphasising that both air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are currently working without pay.
Representative Kweisi Mfume echoed those concerns, urging Congress to pass supplemental legislation to ensure controllers continue to receive pay during shutdowns. During the 2019 shutdown, air traffic and TSA staff shortages led to extended checkpoint lines and forced slowdowns in New York’s airspace, prompting lawmakers to broker a deal to end the standoff.
Currently, around 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers are required to work during the shutdown but remain unpaid. The FAA confirmed controllers would receive only a partial paycheck on October 14, covering hours worked before the funding lapse.
In a related development, Duffy announced that the US Department of Transportation had secured $41 million to maintain the Essential Air Service programme through early November. Airlines such as Alaska Airlines have pledged to continue servicing rural routes even if government reimbursements are delayed.
The US has struggled with air traffic control staffing deficits for over a decade, with many employees working overtime and six-day weeks before the shutdown began. The FAA currently faces a shortfall of about 3,500 controllers below its target staffing levels, further intensifying the nation’s aviation challenges.
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