🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and reporting ill, as they continue to work unpaid during the government shutdown, the transport chief has announced.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official informed Fox News on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were told to continue performing their jobs uncompensated.

But a number have been missing, causing airports to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has added to delays caused by climate and additional factors.

Over three thousand American flights were postponed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he expects the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy remarked in an interview on a weekend program, noting that he had spoken to multiple professionals to hear their concerns directly.

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

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields said flights would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak since the shutdown started.

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

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would reduce the number of planes in the air if there is a shortage of safety personnel.

In his interview, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was secure to travel by air in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to controllers.

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

On Sunday, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the city of Oakland, California.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice was issued at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Many flights were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the authority indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second most active airport in the US, could experience problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency advised passengers in the state to consult carriers about revised flight schedules.

The issue precedes the third match of the World Series, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the US.

Strain on US air travel contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected flight services, including aviator instruction.

It led several flight controllers to stay home on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the government shutdown after thirty-five days.