🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay during the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to keep doing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been absent, causing terminals to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays due to climate and additional factors.

More than 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and the secretary stated he expects the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy remarked in an discussion on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their worries directly.

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

The secretary added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airports indicated flights would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the shutdown began.

The American federal closure entered its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second-longest shutdown in the past.

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the number of planes in the air if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to controllers.

"I require my staff focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at home," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the country and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as additional travel extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Numerous trips were back on schedule by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an average of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA said DFW, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could encounter problems from low staffing in the afternoon.

The FAA advised passengers in California to check with airlines about updated departure times.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest times to fly in the US.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.

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

That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his first term as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.