Flights bound for Los Angeles International Airport experienced a temporary halt due to a shortage of staff at a Southern California air traffic control facility, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency also noted that staffing-related delays were occurring in Chicago, Washington, and Newark, New Jersey.
The FAA implemented a temporary ground stop at one of the busiest airports globally shortly after US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that travelers could expect an increase in flight delays and cancellations, as the nation’s air traffic controllers continue to work without compensation during the federal government shutdown.
During an interview, “Sunday Morning Futures,” Duffy mentioned that a growing number of controllers were reporting sick, as financial concerns added to the stress of an already demanding job.
“We recorded 22 staffing triggers in one day”. This is one of the highest numbers we have observed in the system since the onset of the shutdown. It indicates that the controllers are becoming increasingly strained,” he stated.
The FAA announced that aircraft bound for Los Angeles were delayed at their departure airports beginning at 11:42 AM Eastern time, with the ground stop being lifted at 1:30 PM Eastern time.
The delay did not seem to result in ongoing issues at LAX; as reported by the flight tracking service FlightAware, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport experienced a significantly higher number of late arrivals attributed to what the FAA identified as weather and equipment problems.
A shortage of air traffic controllers per shift also led to disruptions in takeoffs and arrivals at Newark Liberty International Airport and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, as well as at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida, according to the FAA.
The FAA further reduced traffic flow into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport due to staffing shortages among traffic controllers.
