Flight delays mount amid air traffic controller shortages as government shutdown enters fifth week

Staffing shortages at major airports across the United States caused widespread air travel disruptions on Sunday, as air traffic controllers missed their first paychecks amid the ongoing government shutdown that stretched up to the 33rd day.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that nearly 80 per cent of controllers were absent from New York-area facilities, with half of the nation’s busiest centers also facing severe staffing gaps. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the situation could deteriorate further if the shutdown continues and recommended reducing flight volumes.

Major delays reported nationwide

By 2:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, there were 2,756 delays and 222 cancellations within, into, or out of the U.S., according to FlightAware.


Austin-Bergstrom International Airport imposed a ground stop for incoming flights from the Dallas-Fort Worth airspace due to staffing shortages, according to an FAA advisory. The crisis has now extended beyond airport towers to the FAA’s high-altitude centers that manage en route airspace between cities. Jacksonville’s air traffic control center, responsible for airspace across the Southeast, declared an active “staffing trigger,” forcing rerouting for flights to and from Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami.

Newark faces longest delays

New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport has been among the hardest hit, with arrivals limited to as few as 20 planes per hour, according to the FAA and New York City Emergency Management. The average delay for arriving flights exceeded three and a half hours, and the FAA said the traffic management program at Newark would continue into early Monday morning.


Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cautioned Newark travelers on X: “Expect significant delays. We HAVE to reduce flight volumes to MAINTAIN SAFETY.”


He also blamed Democrats, including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, for the shutdown, saying normal airspace operations would resume once a deal is reached.

More delay expected?

“If the government doesn’t open in the next week or two, we’ll look back as these were the good days, not the bad days,” Duffy said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday. On Friday, delays had surpassed 6,000, with nearly 500 cancellations recorded.