Summary
Air travel in the U.S. faced disruptions due to staffing shortages at major airports, resulting from air traffic controllers missing paychecks during the government shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported significant absences and delays, with more than 2,200 flights delayed and over 200 canceled by early Sunday afternoon.
Key Facts
- Air traffic controllers missed their first paychecks during the ongoing government shutdown.
- The government shutdown has been ongoing for a month and is nearing the longest in U.S. history.
- On Friday, the FAA reported nearly 80% of air traffic controllers absent from New York-area facilities.
- By early Sunday afternoon, there were over 2,200 flight delays and more than 200 cancellations in the U.S.
- Ground stops were issued at Nashville International Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport due to staff shortages.
- Delays at Austin-Bergstrom averaged 65 minutes.
- Newark Liberty International Airport restricted arrivals to as few as 20 planes per hour, with average delays exceeding 3.5 hours.
- On Friday, there were over 6,200 flight delays and nearly 500 cancellations.
