Air traffic control staffing challenges are causing travel delays at airports in New York, Washington, Newark, and Houston, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announcement on Thursday. The ongoing U.S. government shutdown, now in its 23rd day, has led to staffing problems at 10 different locations, resulting in ground stops at Houston Bush and Newark airports. Flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are experiencing average delays of 31 minutes, while delays at New York LaGuardia are averaging 62 minutes.
Approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are working without pay during the shutdown. FlightAware, a flight tracking website, reported over 4,200 U.S. flight delays on Thursday, with more than 15% of flights delayed at Reagan, Newark, and LaGuardia, and 13% at Bush.
Concerns are rising among federal officials that the number of controller absences may rise over the weekend, especially since controllers will miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed worries about potential significant flight disruptions during the holiday season at major airports nationwide.
The blame game continues with Democrats refuting accusations of responsibility and pointing fingers at U.S. President Donald Trump and the Republicans for their refusal to negotiate. The air traffic control issue has become a focal point in the shutdown discussion, with both parties accusing each other. Unions and airlines are advocating for a swift resolution to the impasse.
In a previous shutdown in 2019 that lasted 35 days, the number of absences by controllers and TSA officers surged as workers faced delayed paychecks, leading to extended checkpoint wait times at some airports. This resulted in air traffic slowdowns in New York and Washington, pressuring lawmakers to end the standoff. The FAA is currently short of about 3,500 air traffic controllers from its staffing targets, with many already working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks prior to the shutdown.