The government shutdown is putting a renewed spotlight on the cracks in the US aviation system

"A startling message came over the radio from an air traffic control tower near Los Angeles less than a week into the federal government shutdown: "The tower is closed due to staffing." Without enough air traffic controllers to guide planes into and out of Hollywood Burbank Airport, the tower went dark for almost six hours on Oct. 6, leaving pilots to coordinate their movements among themselves."

"Experts and union leaders say the disruptions are a stark reminder that the aviation system is already stretched too thin by chronic understaffing and outdated technology. They warn the cracks in the system could rapidly deepen the longer the shutdown drags on and critical aviation workers are without their regular paychecks. "It's like having a drought the year after you had a drought," Greg Raiff, CEO of Elevate Aviation Group, told The Associated Press."

An air traffic control tower near Los Angeles temporarily closed due to staffing shortages, forcing pilots to self-coordinate and causing average delays of two-and-a-half hours. The Federal Aviation Administration reported controller shortages across major U.S. cities and control centers, and delays spread to airports including Nashville, Dallas and Newark. Unscheduled absences among Transportation Security Administration screeners increased after workers received final paychecks, raising the risk of longer security lines. Experts and union leaders warned that chronic understaffing and outdated technology already strained the aviation system and that disruptions could rapidly deepen the longer the shutdown leaves critical aviation workers unpaid.

Read at ABC7 Los Angeles