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significant air disturbance Travel US as anticipated government shutdown enters the 24th DayWith Transport Secretary Sean Duffy alert Of imminent delay. air traffic controller They are set to miss their first full paycheck this Tuesday, raising concerns over aviation safety.
approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and approximately 50,000 Transportation Security Administration The officers are currently working without salary.
“I think as we get closer to Tuesday and beyond, I think you’ll see more disruption,” Duffy said on Fox News. America Report.
The air security situation is being closely monitored for any signs of worsening delays or cancellations. Such disruptions are seen as a potential means of putting pressure on lawmakers to resolve the current political impasse.
Duffy said at a press conference at the Philadelphia airport that Federal Aviation AdministrationThe Air Traffic Control Academy will run out of money to pay air traffic control students in a matter of weeks and some students have already decided to withdraw or not start classes.
Airlines are bracing for more disruptions.
Republicans, including Duffy, blamed Democrats for not reopening the government. Democrats say it’s President Donald Trump and Republicans who refuse to negotiate over health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.
Democratic Representative Rick Larson said Republicans should negotiate. “Comptrollers should never have to wonder where they’ll get the money to pay their mortgage or put food on the table,” Larson said.
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said at the press conference that controllers are extremely stressed and some are working second jobs to pay their bills.
“Shutdowns create unnecessary distractions and prevent them from focusing 100% on their work, which makes the system less secure,” Daniels said. “We didn’t start the shutdown. We don’t end the shutdown – our elected officials do. And our message is simple – end the shutdown today.”
The Transportation Department said about 6.6 percent of flights were delayed Thursday due to the absence of an air traffic controller — slightly more than the usual 5 percent — but much lower than the 53 percent seen in previous days during the shutdown.
On Thursday, the FAA said air traffic control staffing issues forced it to delay travel at airports in New York, Washington, Newark and Houston.
In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences for controllers and TSA officers increased as workers did not receive pay, increasing wait times at some airport checkpoints. Authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington.
The FAA has approximately 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many were working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.