🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid during the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are wearing thin," the official told a news outlet on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the California shoreline due to personnel deficits.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were instructed to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been missing, causing airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to delays caused by climate and other issues.

Over three thousand American flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary said he expects the situation to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy said in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to hear their concerns directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I drive Uber, can I secure another source of income to cover expenses?'" he added.

The secretary added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields indicated flights would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest after the closure started.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second most extended halt in the past.

He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the number of planes in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his conversation, he declined to respond straightforwardly when asked if it was secure to fly in the United States, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I require my controllers focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," the official stated.

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, leading to interruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The FAA alert was issued at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Travel at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airport in the US, could experience problems from low staffing in the afternoon.

The FAA advised passengers in the state to consult carriers about updated flight schedules.

The issue precedes the third match of the World Series, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to fly in the United States.

Strain on American aviation helped end a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the halt had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several air traffic controllers to remain absent on the identical date on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the government shutdown after 35 days.