Flights delayed at some U.S. airports amid shortage of air traffic controllers

MGN

Airports in U.S. cities including Denver; Newark, New Jersey; and Burbank, California, experienced flight delays Monday amid shortages of air traffic controllers, according to federal flight data.

Federal officials have flagged more air traffic control facilities for low staffing levels in recent days than they have since the summer of 2022, when the post-COVID travel boom sent delays and cancellations soaring, according to a CBS News data analysis of Federal Aviation Administration airspace advisories.

The shortage of air traffic controllers at some airports comes as the U.S. government shutdown that has shuttered federal agencies continues into a second week.

Flights into Hollywood Burbank Airport, which serves Los Angeles, were slowed until 1 a.m. Tuesday, resulting in average delays of 2.5 hours, FAA data shows. No air traffic controllers were on duty on Monday evening at the airport, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a social media post.

According to CBS News Los Angeles, plane captains taking off from the Burbank airport were being asked to contact SoCal Approach, a San Diego-based company also known as Southern California TRACON, so they could communicate and get departure clearance.

When there’s a shortage of air traffic controllers, the FAA reduces the number of takeoffs and landings to ensure the on-duty personnel aren’t overwhelmed and the system remains safe. But that can creates flight delays and cancellations.

On Monday, a total of almost 6,000 flights were delayed in the U.S., including 42% of flights leaving from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and 23% of those from Hollywood Burbank according to tracking site FlightAware. Weather issues also caused some flight delays on Monday.

As of Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. EDT, more than 600 flights within the U.S. had been delayed, FlightAware data shows.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the union representing the nation’s air traffic controllers, on Monday instructed its members to keep working during the government shutdown. Because air traffic controllers are classified as essential workers, they’re expected to continue working without pay, although they would receive back pay once the shutdown ends.

“It is normal for a few air traffic controllers to call in sick on any given day, and this is the latest example of how fragile our aviation system is in the midst of a national shortage of these critical safety professionals,” NATCA said in statement.

It added, “NATCA has consistently warned that the controller staffing shortage leaves the system vulnerable, and today’s events underscore the urgent need to accelerate training and hiring.”

The TSA has seen a slight increase in air traffic controllers calling in sick since the shutdown began last week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday at a news conference at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

“We’re tracking sick calls, sick leave. And have we had a slight tick up in sick calls? Yes,” he told reporters. “You’ll see delays come from that. … Our priorities are safety, and so if we have additional calls, we will reduce the flow consistent with a rate that’s safe for the American people.”

Near the end of a 34-day government shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019, there were widespread flight delays because of shortages of controllers.

—With reporting by Kris Van Cleave, Kathryn Krupnik and Matt Clark.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.