Parts of U.S. airspace could be shut down as soon as next week if the U.S. government shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers continue to not get paid, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday.
There have been growing flight delays and cancellations across the U.S. because of a shortage of air traffic controllers, creating safety concerns that force the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to slow down or temporarily stop traffic.
Duffy said those workers are being forced to make difficult choices to keep feeding their families the longer the shutdown lasts, and said there could be “mass chaos” after air traffic controllers miss their second paycheque next Tuesday.
“You will see mass flight delays, you’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it, because we don’t have the air traffic controllers,” Duffy told reporters at an unrelated press conference in Pennsylvania.
“We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s not safe.”
Duffy added the Transportation Department has no contingency funds to pull from to pay air traffic controllers, who he noted will get a paystub Thursday for their next paycheque “that will show a big fat zero.”
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Air traffic controllers last week missed their first paycheque since the shutdown began.
Last weekend saw some of the worst staff shortages and on Sunday, flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were delayed for several hours.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that over 5,000 flights to and from U.S. airports were delayed on Sunday alone.
She added there have been four times the number of air traffic controller staffing shortages reported during the shutdown compared to last year.
The shutdown has also created staffing shortages for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), leading to mounting delays at airport security checkpoints.
The possibility of airspace closures and further chaos at the nation’s airports creates another pressure point for Congress to end the shutdown, which is now in its 35th day.
It will become the longest shutdown in U.S. history as of Tuesday night unless Republicans and Democrats reach a deal to fund the government.
WestJet and NAV Canada, the country’s air traffic control network, told Global News last week they were not seeing any impacts or delays due to the shutdown’s impacts on air traffic in the U.S.
Air Canada said “like other carriers, we have experienced some delays” but did not share any data.
Global News has reached out to the airlines again for comment on Duffy’s warning Tuesday.
More to come…
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