Transportation Secretary Discusses Ongoing Flight Disruptions Amid Shutdown
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mentioned on Sunday that airports nationwide are facing staffing shortages due to the ongoing government shutdown, leading to anticipated flight delays and cancellations.
In an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week,” Duffy explained, “To ensure the safety of our people, we will be delaying and canceling flights of any kind over our national airspace.” He expressed concerns about air traffic controllers juggling multiple responsibilities, saying, “When a controller is doing two jobs instead of one, it introduces a certain level of risk to the system.”
He emphasized the importance of safety, stating, “We don’t want crashes. We want people to be able to travel safely. So if we don’t think we can manage it in a way that protects the safety of people getting from point A to point B, we will slow down or stop traffic.”
Duffy also cautioned that the situation could deteriorate if airport closures persist. He remarked, “If the government doesn’t open in the next week or two, we’re going to look back on this as a good day, not a bad day.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop due to a shortage of air traffic controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday morning.
According to aviation tracking services, nearly 3,300 flights had been delayed and about 530 canceled by Sunday.
Currently, air traffic controllers are working without pay during the shutdown. The FAA noted that the prolonged period of unpaid work “places air traffic controllers under extreme stress and fatigue.”
The agency outlined that “half of our core 30 facilities are experiencing staffing shortages, and nearly 80% of air traffic controllers are absent at our New York-area facilities.”
In another interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Duffy shared that he has urged air traffic controllers to report to work, but the shutdown has forced them to confront difficult personal decisions. “They’re having to make decisions about whether they’re going to put food on the table for their kids, whether they’re going to put gas in their car, whether they’re going to pay their rent, or whether they’re going to go to work and not get paid,” he explained.
