Nearly 7,000 US flights delayed in a day as controller absences surge in shutdown
Staffing shortages are cited in delays at major hubs as the US government shutdown nears the one-month mark
Air travel turmoil deepened as nearly 7,000 flights were delayed in the United States on Monday, with air traffic controller absences surging as the federal government shutdown reached its 27th day.
The Federal Aviation Administration cited staffing shortages and imposed ground delay programmes affecting Newark Airport in New Jersey, Austin Airport in Texas and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Flights in the southeast were delayed earlier because of significant staffing shortages at the Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control.
Roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work without pay after a budget impasse between Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats triggered the shutdown.
The Trump administration has warned flight disruptions will increase as controllers miss their first full pay cheque on Tuesday.
More than 8,800 flights were delayed on Sunday.
Southwest Airlines had 47 per cent, or 2,089, of its flights delayed on Sunday, while American Airlines had 1,277, or 36 per cent, of its flights delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website. United Airlines had 27 per cent, or 807, of its flights delayed and Delta Air Lines had 21 per cent, or 725, of its flights delayed.
On Monday, Southwest had 34 per cent of flights delayed, American 29 per cent, Delta 22 per cent and United Airlines 19 per cent as of 11.30pm ET (11.30am Tuesday Hong Kong time), according to FlightAware.