Calif. airport had no air traffic controllers for 6 hours amid shutdown

"Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that the government shutdown is putting more stress on air traffic controllers who already have an extremely stressful job, as well as threatening a program that small communities rely on to help subsidize airline service. Controllers are expected to continue working without a paycheck, Duffy said, so they are now worried about how to pay their bills in addition to worrying about keeping flights safe."

"Now what they think about as they're controlling our airspace is, how am I going to pay my mortgage? How do I make my car payment? I have a couple kids at home. How do I put food on the table? I'm working six days a week. Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I'm already exhausted from doing a job that's already stressful to think about how I can make extra money because the government may not provide me a paycheck?"

"By Monday evening, the FAA was reporting that staffing shortages were creating delays in the Burbank, Newark and Denver airports. The worst problems were in Burbank, where California Gov. Gavin Newsom said no controllers were on duty during the evening, leading to average delays of two-and-a-half hours at that airport. On Tuesday morning, Newsom posted on X that Burbank was without controllers for six hours on Monday. Air traffic was instead handled remotely by Southern California TRACON, a unit of the FAA that is based in San Diego."

The government shutdown is increasing stress on air traffic controllers and threatening subsidy programs that support airline service to small communities. Controllers are expected to work without pay and face worry about paying bills while maintaining flight safety. Instances of controllers calling out sick have resulted in staffing shortages and delays at airports including Burbank, Newark and Denver. Burbank experienced no controllers on duty during evening hours, producing average delays of two-and-a-half hours and requiring remote handling by Southern California TRACON in San Diego. Some travelers at Newark expressed that controllers should be paid.

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