🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay during the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," the official told a news outlet on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

After the government shut down on October 1st, flight controllers, who are considered essential workers, were told to keep doing their jobs uncompensated.

But a number have been missing, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to delays caused by climate and additional factors.

More than three thousand US flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary said he anticipates the circumstances to grow worse.

"I am seeing the stress," Duffy remarked in an discussion on a weekend program, noting that he had met with several controllers to hear their worries directly.

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I work for Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports said flights would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak after the closure began.

The American federal closure reached its twenty-sixth day on the weekend, making it the second-longest halt in the past.

Duffy has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would reduce the quantity of aircraft in the sky if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when questioned if it was secure to fly in the United States, and instead made a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I require my staff focused on the airspace, not on the finances at home," the official stated.

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as additional travel extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration alert was issued at 08:45 in the morning on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority said DFW, the second-busiest airport in the US, could encounter difficulties from low staffing in the afternoon.

The agency warned passengers in the state to consult airlines about revised flight schedules.

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest periods to fly in the United States.

Pressure on American aviation helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It led several flight controllers to stay home on the same day on January 25, 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as president, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the government shutdown after 35 days.