🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official told a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were grounded on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to continue performing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been absent, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays due to climate and other issues.

Over 3,000 American flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary said he expects the situation to grow worse.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy said in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had spoken to several controllers to hear their worries firsthand.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, can I secure an alternative of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

The secretary added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airports indicated flights would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - one of the highest since the shutdown started.

The American federal closure entered its 26th day on Sunday, making it the second-longest halt in the past.

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my controllers concentrating on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," the official said.

On that day, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice was issued at 08:45 in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority said DFW, the second-busiest airport in the country, could encounter problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency warned travelers in California to consult carriers about revised departure times.

The issue precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak times to travel by air in the US.

Pressure on US air travel helped end a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

It led several flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, briefly halting movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.