Transit sec warns air travel chaos to worsen as shutdown drives air traffic controllers into retirement

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Sunday that the ongoing government shutdown will cause lasting disruptions to US air travel, citing the escalating number of air traffic controllers who are retiring.

During an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper, Duffy said the US is “short air traffic controllers,” explaining that efforts to recruit and certify new controllers have been hindered by the shutdown. Duffy said he was “trying to get more air traffic controllers into the towers and be certified,” but is “about a 1,000 to 2,000 controllers short.”

“I’ve paid experienced controllers to stay on the job and not retire,” Duffy said. “I used to have about four controllers retire a day before the shutdown, I’m now up to 15 to 20 a day are retiring. So it’s going to be harder for me to come back after the shutdown and have more controllers controlling the airspace. So this is gonna live on in air travel well beyond the timeframe that this government opens up.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has implemented a 4 percent reduction in air traffic at major U.S. airports to ease pressure on controllers. The agency instructed airlines to cut 6 percent of flights on Tuesday if the shutdown continues, and up to 10 percent by November 14. Duffy has warned that reductions could reach as high as 20 percent if the shutdown persists.

Flight disruptions are already widespread. Roughly 800 cancellations occurred Friday, 1,460 on Saturday, and nearly 2,000 flights were already canceled as of Sunday morning, according to FlightAware. Airlines have been offering refunds to affected passengers.

“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said last week. “The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.”

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has warned that staffing shortages during the shutdown are pushing many controllers to their limits, explaining that many are working 10-hour days and six-day workweeks without pay. 

“This situation creates substantial distractions for individuals who are already engaged in extremely stressful work,” the union said. “The financial and mental strain increases risks within the National Airspace System, making it less safe with each passing day of the shutdown.”