🔗 Share this article

American flight controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"The controllers are wearing thin," Sean Duffy told Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to keep doing their duties without pay.

But some have been missing, leading airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to setbacks caused by weather and other issues.

More than three thousand US flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary said he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," he remarked in an discussion on a weekend program, adding that he had met with multiple professionals to hear their worries directly.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, can I secure another source of income to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airports said flights would be delayed due to a lack of employees - one of the highest since the shutdown began.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second-longest halt in the past.

He has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would slow down the quantity of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

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

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

On that day, some planes were grounded at LAX due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as other flights extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were back on schedule by midday.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airport in the country, could experience difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA warned travelers in the state to check with airlines about revised flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak times to fly in the US.

Pressure on US air travel helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted several flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, the former president, who at the time was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after 35 days.