US government shutdown disrupts flights nationwide

Shafaq News – Washington

The US government shutdown has caused widespread flight delays and cancellations due to air traffic control staffing shortages, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday.

In its twenty-third day, the shutdown has disrupted operations at ten air traffic control centers, the FAA reported, while it temporarily halted flights at Houston Bush Intercontinental and Newark Liberty airports as staffing issues worsened.

Average flight delays reached 31 minutes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and 62 minutes at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to the agency. About 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are working without pay. Flight-tracking website FlightAware reported more than 4,200 delayed flights across the country on Thursday.

Federal officials warned that absenteeism among controllers could increase over the weekend as workers go without their first full pay check by Tuesday.

In the United States, government shutdowns occur when Congress fails to pass funding bills before the new fiscal year, forcing federal agencies to scale back operations, halt non-essential services, and furlough thousands of employees while keeping only essential staff in critical sectors. The current shutdown began after lawmakers in Congress reached a deadlock over spending priorities and border security funding.