Air traffic control staffing challenges are causing delays at airports in New York, Washington, Newark, and Houston, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announcement late on Thursday during the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, now in its 23rd day.
The FAA has identified staffing issues at 10 different locations, leading to ground stops at Houston Bush and Newark airports. At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in D.C., flights are experiencing average delays of 31 minutes, while New York LaGuardia is seeing average delays of 62 minutes.
With approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers working without pay due to the shutdown, FlightAware, a flight tracking website, reported over 4,200 U.S. flights facing delays on Thursday. This included more than 15% of flights at Reagan, Newark, and LaGuardia airports, and 13% at Bush airport.
Concerns are rising among federal officials that controller absences may escalate over the upcoming weekend, particularly as controllers are set to miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned of potential extensive flight disruptions and cancellations at major airports nationwide during the holiday season. Democrats refute claims of responsibility, placing blame on U.S. President Donald Trump and Republicans for the ongoing deadlock.
The current shutdown debate has centered on air traffic control, with both parties pointing fingers at each other. Unions and airlines are advocating for a swift resolution to the impasse.
During a 35-day shutdown in 2019, controller and TSA officer absences surged as workers faced paycheck delays, leading to extended checkpoint wait times at certain airports. This prompted authorities to slow air traffic in New York and Washington, pressuring lawmakers to end the standoff.
The FAA, already short of about 3,500 air traffic controllers relative to targeted staffing levels, had many controllers working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown commenced.