US air-traffic controller shortage threatens to raise delays: union

Washington

US air-traffic staffing is at a 27-year low that threatens to increase flight delays, particularly in the already congested New York region, the union representing controllers said.

A growing wave of retirements, budgetary uncertainty and bureaucratic failures at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have combined to create a shortage of fully trained controllers, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said on Tuesday. "The staffing crisis is a systemic problem and deteriorating daily," said Trish Gilbert, the association's executive vice-president.