No air traffic control at LA area airport, delays at others amid US government shutdown
A BUSY California airport had no air traffic controllers on Monday evening, the state’s governor said, as the effects of a US government shutdown rippled across the country.
Hollywood Burbank Airport, which connects Los Angeles to the rest of the country, was set to be without qualified staff in the control tower for around six hours, Governor Gavin Newsom said.
“Thanks @realDonaldTrump!” wrote Newsom on X. “Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4.15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown.”
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), which regulates flying in the US, said departures to the airport were delayed by around two-and-a-half hours.
“BUR TOWER ATC ZERO. RATE REDUCED DUE TO STAFFING,” it said in an advisory.
Broadcaster ABC7 said its reporters had spoken to people at the airport who confirmed the tower would be unstaffed.
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The staff said duties at Burbank would be handled by a team in San Diego, which would speak to pilots coming in and going out of the airport.
In a statement to AFP, a spokesperson for the airport said “operations are continuing.”
“We are advising passengers to check with their airline - before arriving at the airport - for updates on possible delays or cancellations,” the statement said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said staffing issues were causing delays at several airports including Newark and Denver on Monday, just hours after the top US transportation official said air traffic controllers calling in sick had risen slightly since the government shutdown began.
Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must still turn up for work during the shutdown. They are not being paid and controllers are set to miss their first paycheck on Oct 14.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that at times, air traffic staffing has been cut by 50 per cent in some areas since the shutdown started last week.
The FAA said air traffic control staffing issues are impacting flights at numerous airports including Newark, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas and Burbank.
FlightAware said more than 4,000 flights in the US on Monday have been delayed, including 29 per cent arriving flights at Denver, 19 per cent of Newark flights and 15 per cent of Las Vegas flights. Weather issues are also impacting flights.
President Donald Trump has made transportation a focal point in a government shutdown battle with the Democrats, cutting off more than US$28 billion of aid for climate programmes, subways, tunnels and mass transit in Democratic-leaning states including New York and Illinois.
Delays will result from the reduced staffing, Duffy said, adding that if sick calls increase, air traffic flow will be cut to a rate that maintains air safety.
Duffy and the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association spoke at a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport to discuss the effects of the shutdown. The airport is one of three serving the heavily Democratic-leaning New York metropolitan area and is a major United Airlines hub.
Duffy noted controllers are worried. “They’re thinking about, am I going to get a pay cheque?,” Duffy said, adding that some are asking themselves: “Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I’m already exhausted from doing a job that’s already stressful?”
The union on Monday reminded workers, “participating in a job action could result in removal from federal service” and that it is illegal.
“It is more important than ever that we rise to the occasion and continue delivering the consistent, high-level of public service we provide every day,” the union told members. “We cannot stress enough that it is essential to avoid any actions that could reflect poorly on you, our union, or our professions.”
In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers rose as workers missed pay cheques, extending checkpoint wait times at some airports. Authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York, which put pressure on lawmakers to quickly end the standoff.
Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said at the time the shutdown was “pushing our airspace to the breaking point.”
Airline trade group Airlines for America, which represents United, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, warned that during a funding lapse “the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency” and impacting travellers.
A persistent shortage of controllers has delayed flights and many are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks. The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels.
Political commentators have said it is only a matter of time before this system effectively one of good will - breaks, and staff begin to call in sick while they are not being paid.
Democrats are refusing to provide the votes the ruling Republicans need to reopen federal departments, unless an agreement is reached on extending expiring “Obamacare” health care subsidies and reversing some cuts to health programmes passed as part of Trump’s signature “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill, which was signed into law on July 4, would strip 11 million Americans of health care coverage, mainly through cuts to the Medicaid programme for low-income families.
That figure would be in addition to the four million Americans whom Democrats say will lose health care next year if the health insurance subsidies are not extended - while another 24 million Americans will see their premiums double.
Republicans argue the expiring health care subsidies have nothing to do with keeping the government open and can be dealt with separately before the end of the year. AFP, REUTERS
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