🔗 Share this article

American flight controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and reporting ill, as they remain on duty without pay during the government shutdown, the transportation secretary has stated.

"These professionals are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the government shut down on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were instructed to keep doing their jobs without pay.

But a number have been missing, leading airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays caused by climate and other issues.

Over 3,000 American flights were delayed on the weekend, and Duffy said he expects the circumstances to grow worse.

"I observe the stress," he said in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to listen to their concerns firsthand.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I work for Uber, am I able to find another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday 22 alerts at airfields indicated travel would be held up due to a lack of employees - among the peak since the closure started.

The American federal closure entered its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended halt in history.

He has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the number of planes in the air if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his interview, he declined to respond straightforwardly when questioned if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I need my controllers focused on the flight paths, not on the finances at home," Duffy stated.

On that day, certain flights were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, causing interruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice was issued at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Numerous trips were back on schedule by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA said DFW, the second most active airfield in the country, could encounter difficulties from low staffing in the afternoon.

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

The situation comes ahead of Game 3 of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the US.

Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

It led a number of air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his initial presidency as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the government shutdown after 35 days.