(Reuters, Washington) The U.S. federal government shutdown continued for its 27th consecutive day on Monday, with air traffic disruptions worsening as a surge in air traffic controller absenteeism led to delays of nearly 7,000 flights nationwide.
Due to staff shortages, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented ground delays on Monday (October 27) at Newark International Airport in New Jersey, Austin International Airport in Texas, and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Earlier in the day, severe staff shortages at the Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control Center also caused flight delays in the southeastern United States.
Since the federal government shutdown began on October 1 due to funding shortages, approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel nationwide have been forced to work without pay.
Currently, the FAA has about 3,500 fewer air traffic controllers than required, many of whom were already forced to work overtime and six days a week before the shutdown.
The Trump administration warned that flight disruptions could worsen as air traffic controllers are unable to receive their usual payday on Tuesday (the 28th).
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Data from flight tracking website FlightAware shows that Southwest Airlines had 31% of its flights delayed on Monday, American Airlines 24%, Delta Air Lines 18%, and United Airlines 12%.
The previous day (October 26), more than 8,800 flights were delayed nationwide, with Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines experiencing delays of 47%, 36%, 27%, and 21%, respectively.
U.S. Department of Transportation officials said that 44% of flight delays on Sunday were due to air traffic controller absences, a rate significantly higher than the usual 5%.
The increasing number of flight delays and cancellations has fueled public discontent and intensified scrutiny of the government shutdown's impact, putting pressure on lawmakers to address the issue.
