(The Hill) — A large absence of air traffic controllers across the country is causing thousands of flight delays, as the government shutdown stretched onto its 20th day, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday.
About 7,850 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were delayed on Sunday, according to FlightAware. More than 1,000 flights were delayed as of Monday morning.
FAA has chalked up delays in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Newark, N.J., over the weekend to staffing issues, according to Reuters. The FAA also noted possible delays in Las Vegas and Phoenix due to shortages.
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“As [Transportation] Secretary [Sean] Duffy has said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system. When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations,” an FAA spokesperson told NewsNation partner The Hill.
On Sunday, delays were also caused by weather issues and this year’s Formula 1 race in Austin, Reuters reported.
Duffy said on Fox Business earlier this month that 53% of flight delays were caused by staffing issues, a stark comparison to the usual 5%.
Roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents are working without pay through the shutdown.
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Experts in recent days have warned of more flight delays, as it is common for airport staff to take sick days when they are working without pay, as illustrated by the 2019 government shutdown.
Throughout the shutdown, the Trump administration has aired videos in some airports placing blame on Democrats for not reopening the federal government. A lot of airports have refused to play these videos.
The current shutdown is the third-longest in American history.
