Flights faced delays at major airports in Orlando, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Washington, DC on Thursday due to a lack of air traffic controllers amid the US government shutdown, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration. The delays were significant, with Orlando experiencing over two-hour delays, Washington National Airport facing 90-minute delays, and Dallas with delays averaging 21 minutes.
According to FlightAware, a flight tracking website, nearly 6,000 flights were delayed and 1,100 were canceled nationwide on Thursday. Major airlines such as United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Delta Air Lines were affected, with approximately 20 percent of their flights experiencing disruptions.
Since the commencement of the government shutdown on October 1, over 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay. This situation has led some controllers to seek additional employment to make ends meet, resulting in an increase in the number of controllers calling in sick.
The FAA initially planned to restrict landings at Orlando due to staffing shortages but managed to secure enough controllers to avert the closure. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy disclosed that a significant percentage of delays on Sunday and Monday were caused by air traffic controller absences, a sharp increase compared to pre-shutdown levels.
The FAA currently faces a shortage of about 3,500 air traffic controllers from its target staffing levels, with many controllers already working extensive overtime and six-day weeks prior to the shutdown.