News
Flights Halted, Delayed or Rerouted at 3 Top Airports Over Shutdown-Related Air Traffic Controller Staffing
On the 35th day of President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s shutdown of the federal government a shortage of FAA air traffic controllers is causing flights at three of the nation’s top airports to be delayed, halted, or re-routed.
“A ground stop has been ordered at LaGuardia Airport because of a staffing shortage related to sick calls, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday,” NBC News reports.
CNN adds that flights are delayed at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Philadelphia International Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
JUST IN: Air traffic is delayed at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Philadelphia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey due to staffing issues at an FAA regional air traffic control center, according to the FAA https://t.co/UnFiwYhPY8 pic.twitter.com/wHz1YOVsMm
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) January 25, 2019
All three airports are “major hubs,” CNN notes, which means flights across the country could be affected.
"If you don't have enough air traffic controllers, management must literally by law stop the flights," says @MarySchiavo, Fmr. Inspector General U.S. Dept. of Transportation, adding that the delays at major East Coast airports are for "safety" https://t.co/PksW6P1zf5 pic.twitter.com/R6eiaWoYtq
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) January 25, 2019
MSNBC reported Friday morning that FAA employees generally work six days a week, 10 hours a day, regardless of the shutdown. They add that some have had to take second jobs in addition to working their full-time jobs because they have not been paid in a month.
All the planes in the sky right now from North Carolina to New York. The people in charge of keeping these planes separated on the ground and in the air have not been paid for a month. pic.twitter.com/QOccYZ00TG
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 25, 2019
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