U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday that if the federal government shutdown continues into next week, the United States could face the closure of some parts of its national airspace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duffy told reporters that staffing shortages among air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are already straining the aviation system. \u201cIf you bring us to a week from today \u2026 you\u2019ll see mass flight delays. You\u2019ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources at the Federal Aviation Administration say that roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents are working without pay amid the 35-day-old shutdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Major hubs including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Hartsfield\u2011Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago O\u2019Hare International Airport are experiencing heightened disruptions as the FAA reportedly reviews which flight corridors may first be subject to restrictions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aviation industry groups such as the Air Line Pilots Association and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association have expressed alarm, warning that safety and operational reliability may be compromised if the shutdown persists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shutdown stemmed from a budget impasse in Congress, where negotiations over a stop-gap funding bill remain stalled. Duffy\u2019s warning appears designed to escalate pressure on lawmakers by highlighting the real-world stakes of the impasse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the air travel system remains officially open, Duffy emphasized the government reserves the right to restrict flights and close segments of airspace if safety thresholds are breached. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As millions of holiday-season travelers use the skies in the coming weeks, airlines and airports are bracing for escalating delays. The question now for officials in Washington is not only when the shutdown ends, but whether the U.S. aviation network will emerge intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SEES MAJOR DELAYS AS AVIATION STAFF WORK WITHOUT PAY U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday that if the federal government shutdown continues into next week, the United States could face the closure of some parts of its national airspace. Duffy told reporters that staffing shortages among air traffic controllers and Transportation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[221,224,223],"class_list":["post-2356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s","tag-airspace-closure","tag-faa","tag-u-s-government-shutdown"],"yoast_head":"\n