Government Shutdown Causes Widespread Flight Delays Due to Air Traffic Control Staffing Shortages

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reported significant flight delays at multiple U.S. airports due to air traffic control staffing shortages, coinciding with the seventh day of the government shutdown.

Airports experiencing notable delays include Nashville International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Chicago O'Hare International Airport. At Newark, arriving flights faced holds of up to 30 minutes, while Chicago O'Hare reported average delays of 41 minutes.

Nashville's air traffic control is grappling with significant staffing issues, leading to a reduction in operations. The FAA indicated that approach control responsibilities would be transferred to Memphis Center to manage the situation.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged a slight increase in air traffic controllers calling in sick since the shutdown began. He emphasized that safety remains the top priority, stating, "If we don't have controllers, we're going to make sure the airspace is safe. So what we do is we'll slow traffic."

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association highlighted the existing national shortage of air traffic controllers, noting that even a few sick calls can significantly impact operations, especially at smaller airports.

Flight tracking data from FlightAware indicated that over 2,500 flights were delayed on Tuesday, including approximately 200 at Nashville and nearly 500 at Chicago O'Hare.

During the 2019 government shutdown, a rise in absences among controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers led to extended checkpoint wait times and necessitated a slowdown of air traffic in New York, pressuring lawmakers to resolve the impasse promptly.