U.S. airlines and aviation organizations are alerting Congress about the potential consequences of late-night government shutdowns, emphasizing that such actions could disrupt air travel and compromise safety, not to mention hinder modernization efforts for the nation’s air traffic control system.
This warning comes from the Modern Skies Coalition, a trade association representing major players like United, Delta, Southwest, and others. They pointed out that a shutdown would lead to a suspension of FAA employment and training, delay vital safety initiatives, and create expensive backlogs across the aviation sector.
“Government closures will negatively impact the U.S. economy and undermine the safety margins integral to our National Airspace System (NAS),” the coalition stated. They went further to note that even brief shutdowns could have detrimental effects, both on the NAS and for travelers.
The letter also underscores the broader economic implications, revealing that the U.S. aviation industry accounts for over 5% of the GDP (projected at $1.37 trillion in 2023) while supporting more than 10 million jobs. The group referred to a past 35-day shutdown between 2018-19, which reportedly incurred a $3 billion cost in unrecuperated economic activity, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The coalition expressed strong support for previous funding towards air traffic control modernization, stating, “We backed the $12.5 billion down payment from Congress, and we remain supportive of Secretary Duffy’s push for an additional $19 billion to achieve a fully developed air traffic management system.” They cautioned that a government shutdown at this juncture could jeopardize the progress made so far.
While House Republicans have pushed forward with a short-term funding approach, the Senate has stalled, mainly due to the Democrats’ resistance to extending medical subsidies and issues regarding spending cuts. This impasse in negotiations continues to drag on.
Following a meeting on Monday between Republican and Democrat leaders and President Donald Trump, no agreement was reached on maintaining government funding, raising the likelihood of a partial shutdown imminently.
According to the Modern Skies Coalition, the FAA is currently about 3,800 air traffic controllers short of its target staffing, and they are backing Transportation Secretary Shawn Duffy’s initiative to boost these numbers. During previous shutdowns, facilities like the Oklahoma City Training Academy were also forced to close.
The one-hour meeting at the White House, unfortunately, yielded no significant progress.
