🔗 Share this article

American flight controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay during the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official told a news outlet on the weekend, as certain aircraft were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the government shut down on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are considered critical staff, were told to keep doing their duties uncompensated.

But a number have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to setbacks caused by climate and other issues.

Over 3,000 US flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy said he expects the situation to grow worse.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy remarked in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to hear their worries firsthand.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to find an alternative of income to make ends meet?'" he continued.

The secretary further mentioned that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports said flights would be held up due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest after the shutdown started.

The American federal closure entered its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended shutdown in the past.

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would reduce the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I require my staff focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing interruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the country and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second-busiest airport in the country, could experience problems from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The agency warned travelers in the state to check with airlines about revised flight schedules.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to fly in the United States.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including pilot training.

It led a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the identical date on 25 January 2019, briefly halting movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.