The Federal Aviation Administration said staffing issues were causing delays at several airports, including Newark and Denver, on Monday, just hours after the top U.S. transportation official said air traffic controllers calling in sick had risen slightly since the government shutdown began.
Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must still turn up for work during the shutdown. They are not being paid and controllers are set to miss their first paycheck on October 14.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that at times, air traffic staffing has been cut by 50% in some areas since the shutdown started last week.
The FAA said air traffic control staffing issues are impacting flights at numerous airports, including Newark, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas and Burbank. FlightAware said more than 4,000 flights in the U.S. on Monday have been delayed, including 29% arriving flights at Denver, 19% of Newark flights and 15% of Las Vegas flights. Weather issues are also impacting flights.
President Donald Trump has made transportation a focal point in a government shutdown battle with the Democrats, cutting off more than $28 billion of aid for climate programs, subways, tunnels and mass transit in Democratic-leaning states, including New York and Illinois.
Delays will result from the reduced staffing, Duffy said, adding that if sick calls increase, air traffic flow will be cut to a rate that maintains air safety.
Duffy and the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association spoke at a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport to discuss the effects of the shutdown. The airport is one of three serving the heavily Democratic-leaning New York metropolitan area and is a major United Airlines UAL.O hub.
Duffy noted controllers are worried.