🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to personnel deficits.

After the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to keep doing their duties without pay.

But a number have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to delays due to weather and additional factors.

Over three thousand American flights were postponed on Sunday, and Duffy stated he anticipates the situation to grow worse.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy remarked in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to multiple professionals to listen to their worries directly.

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, can I find an alternative of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.

The secretary added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields said travel would be held up due to a lack of workers - one of the highest since the shutdown started.

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

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would reduce the number of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his interview, he declined to respond directly when asked if it was secure to fly in the US, and instead made a personal plea to the professionals.

"I need my staff focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," the official said.

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending upward to the city of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert went out at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally before noon.

Flights at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the US, could experience difficulties from low staffing later in the day.

The FAA warned travelers in the state to check with carriers about updated departure times.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak periods to fly in the US.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. Back then, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.

It led a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the identical date on January 25, 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after thirty-five days.