🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay during the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official informed a news outlet on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

Following the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to keep doing their jobs without pay.

But some have been missing, causing airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays caused by weather and additional factors.

Over 3,000 US flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy said he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I observe the pressure," he remarked in an discussion on a weekend program, noting that he had met with multiple professionals to hear their worries directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, can I find another source of income to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airports said flights would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest after the shutdown began.

The US government shutdown reached its twenty-sixth day on the weekend, making it the second-longest shutdown in the past.

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I need my controllers concentrating on the flight paths, not on the monetary matters at home," the official stated.

On Sunday, certain flights were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing interruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice was issued at 08:45 in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were back on schedule by midday.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could encounter problems from low staffing later in the day.

The FAA advised travelers in the state to check with carriers about updated flight schedules.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the United States.

Strain on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.

It prompted a number of air traffic controllers to stay home on the identical date on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after 35 days.