US airport staffing shortage expected to cause further delays amid lockdown | 2025 US Federal Government Shutdown
Staffing shortages at US airports are expected to cause further disruption for air travelers on Wednesday as effects from the US government shutdown, now in its seventh day, ripple across the country.
Union leaders for air traffic controllers and airport security programs have warned that the situation is likely to get worse, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reporting staffing issues at airports in Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia, as well as at air traffic control centers in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Ft.
The aviation regulator slowed takeoffs at several airports this week as air traffic control facilities struggle to maintain staff amid the federal government shutdown.
Henry Hartfield, a travel industry analyst, told The Associated Press that the risk of broader impacts on the U.S. aviation system is “growing every day” and that the longer the shutdown lasts, the more likely it is to impact holiday travel plans in November.
“I am deeply concerned that if the government remains closed at that time, it could disrupt, and possibly ruin, millions of Americans’ Thanksgiving holidays,” Hartevelt said in a statement.
Union leaders within the American Federation of Government Employees met Wednesday to urge lawmakers in Congress to reach a bipartisan deal to reopen the federal government and discuss its impact on the transportation sector.
“We count on federal workers every day to do our jobs. Hundreds of thousands of aviation workers, both federal and private, ask all day long, ‘Is it safe?’ “We’re doing this so the American public can take safety and security for granted,” said Sarah Nelson, president of the Aviation Attendance Association (AFA).
TSA officers and air traffic controllers coming to work are “under-resourced by the government in any increasingly unsafe scenario,” Nelson said. “In security, we know the first rule is to eliminate all distractions. But what could be more of a distraction than not getting a paycheck?”
Staffing shortages, including a high number of workers calling in sick at airports across the US, are affecting major airports across New York, Los Angeles and Denver on Monday, delaying more than 6,000 flights in the US.
In Los Angeles, air traffic control at Burbank Airport was closed and air traffic was handled by another facility. The Nashville airport was experiencing a delay of about two hours due to staffing issues, FAA he said on his website Tuesday. In Dallas-Fort Worth, delays at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport were recorded at 41 minutes, and at Dallas-Ft., the Federal Aviation Administration said in Dallas-Fort Worth at 30 minutes.
About 92% of the more than 23,600 flights departing from U.S. airports as of noon Tuesday took off on time, according to aviation analytics firm CIRIUM. Despite the delays, the FAA has not issued a “staffing operator” that would reduce the number of flights in and out of airports, She told NBC News.
In a statement on his websitethe National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the largest union representing air traffic controllers, said it “does not endorse, support, or condone any Federal employees who engage in or endorse coordinated activity that adversely affects the capability of the National Airspace System.”
“Air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals take their responsibility to protect the safety of the flying public very seriously,” the union said. “Participating in a job action can result in removal from federal service. It is not only illegal, it also undermines the credibility of NATCA and significantly impairs our ability to advocate for you and your family.”
Transport Minister Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday that the country’s air traffic control system was being damaged by the government shutdown.
During a visit to Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, Duffy said the shutdown had increased pressure on controllers, who were already working with outdated equipment, and he blamed Democrats for the situation.
“They’re not just thinking about the airspace now,” Duffy said of air traffic controllers, who have not been paid during the shutdown. “They’re thinking, ‘Am I going to get a paycheck?’ “
This comes as Donald Trump indicated that some furloughed federal workers may not, as is customary, receive paychecks again when the government reopens.
“There are some people who are not worth taking care of, and we will treat them differently,” Trump said during an event at the White House. He added that the aforementioned payment “depends on who we are talking about.”
According to FAA emergency shutdown planningA quarter of the workforce, or more than 11,000 FAA employees, was furloughed when the shutdown began last week. But 13,000 air traffic controllers continue to work, with ongoing hiring and training as well.
“They’re not rich, they don’t have three, four, five months’ worth of cash in their bank accounts,” Duffy said. “Like many of us, they go from one paycheck to the next, relying on that to pay the bills.”
NATCA President Nick Daniels said the closure highlighted issues air traffic controllers already face, including staffing shortages and outdated equipment. He said the situation was particularly dangerous at smaller airports.
“It’s not like we have other controllers suddenly having access to this facility and their staff. There’s just not enough people there,” Daniels told the AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report