Flight delays mount amid air traffic controller shortages as government shutdown enters fifth week

Staffing shortages at major airports in the United States caused widespread disruptions to air travel on Sunday as air traffic controllers missed their first paychecks due to the government shutdown that continues into its 33rd day.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that nearly 80 percent of controllers are absent from New York-area facilities, while half of the nation’s busiest hubs face serious staffing shortages. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy warned the situation could worsen if the closure continues and recommended reducing flight volumes.

Major delays reported across the country

By 2:15 p.m. Sunday, there had been 2,756 delays and 222 cancellations within and outside the U.S., according to FlightAware.
Per the FAA’s recommendation, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has decided to ground flights from Dallas-Fort Worth airspace due to staffing shortages. The crisis has now spread beyond airport towers to the FAA’s high-altitude centers that manage airspace between cities. Jacksonville’s air traffic control center, which is responsible for airspace in the Southeast, declared an active “personnel trigger,” forcing the rerouting of flights to and from Atlanta, Orlando and Miami.

Newark faces longest delays

Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey was among the hardest hit, with arrivals limited to 20 planes per hour, according to the FAA and New York City Emergency Management. The average delay for incoming flights exceeded three and a half hours, and the FAA said the traffic management program in Newark would continue until the early hours of Monday morning.

Transport Minister Sean Duffy warned Newark passengers on X: “We expect significant delays. WE MUST reduce flight volumes to MAINTAIN SAFETY.”
He also blamed Democrats, including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, for the closure and said normal airspace operations would resume once a deal was reached.

Are further delays expected?

“If the government doesn’t open in the next week or two, we’ll look back because those were good days, not bad days,” Duffy said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday. On Friday, the number of delays exceeded 6,000 and nearly 500 cancellations were recorded.