🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," Sean Duffy told Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the California shoreline due to personnel deficits.

Following the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are considered critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays due to weather and other issues.

Over three thousand US flights were postponed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he expects the situation to grow worse.

"I observe the stress," he remarked in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had met with several controllers to listen to their concerns directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I work for Uber, can I secure an alternative of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

The secretary added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airfields indicated travel would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the closure started.

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

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the number of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," Duffy said.

On that day, certain flights were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland.

The FAA alert went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on Sunday. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were postponed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airport in the US, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA advised passengers in the state to consult airlines about updated departure times.

The situation precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the US.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including aviator instruction.

It prompted a number of flight controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, briefly halting movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.