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Government shutdown causing flight delays at major airports across US
As the United States enters its second week of government shutdown, its major airports are witnessing long delays due to staffing shortages.
Amid the government shutdown in the US, flight schedules were severely disrupted as major airports reported flight delays on Tuesday, October 7, The Hill reported. Staffing shortages, caused by the shutdown, remained one of the key reasons behind the delays. As per FlightAware, 3,600 flights were delayed on October 7, and 70 flights were cancelled.
What’s the reason behind these delays?
On October 6, The Guardian reported that as many as 6000 US flights were delayed and some airports were temporarily closed due to a shortage of staff members.
As per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there have been staff shortages at Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, and Philadelphia airports among several others. The national airspace system status summary revealed that some airports like Reagan Washington National Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Miami International Airport are expected to experience “ground stoppages” on Wednesday, October 8.
Also, the Department of Transportation has reported staffing shortages at various airports like Newark, Hollywood Burbank as well as the Denver International Airport.
Transportation Secretary Seam Duffy highlighted that staffing has dropped to 50% at some of the airports across the United States, BBC reported. Nashville International Airport even posted a notice on October 7 that flights will be reduced due to a shortage of “air traffic controllers.”
Drew MacQueen, who is the incharge of the union of air traffic controllers of the Great Lakes region, told NewsNation, “It’s something that’s put in place to make the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) aware that staffing levels are down a little bit, so they can take the appropriate measures to maybe slow down traffic to the level of staffing.”
Also Read: Hollywood Burbank Airport left unmanned for hours as US government shutdown hits air traffic control
“What they don’t need is the fatigue of dealing with that job while being short staffed, working six days a week, 10 hours a day. Now they’re worried about when they’ll get paid,” MacQueen added.
US government shutdown and flight delays
The government shutdown was announced on October 1 and there is no certainty as far as when it will end. According to the BBC, 7,50,000 workers have been put on unpaid leave and government employees are working even without getting paid. Air traffic controllers started calling in sick, and a warning was issued by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association that if employees did not turn out on work, they might get terminated.
A similar situation arose in 2019, when US flights were disrupted and it was the fifth week of the shutdown.
FAQs
Why are flights getting delayed in the US?
The US flights are getting delayed because of the government shutdown.
When did the government shutdown begin in the US?
It started on October 1.
How many workers have been put on unpaid leave after the US government shutdown?
Nearly 7,50,000 workers have been put on unpaid leave.
