🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and reporting ill, as they continue to work without pay amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are becoming strained," Sean Duffy told Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

Following the government shut down on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to keep doing their jobs uncompensated.

But some have been missing, causing airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has added to setbacks due to weather and other issues.

Over three thousand American flights were postponed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he expects the situation to grow worse.

"I am seeing the pressure," he remarked in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to multiple professionals to hear their concerns directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I drive Uber, can I secure another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he continued.

The secretary further mentioned that on Saturday 22 alerts at airfields said flights would be held up due to a lack of employees - one of the highest since the closure began.

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

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

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was secure to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I need my controllers concentrating on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," the official said.

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland.

The FAA notice went out at 08:45 in the morning on Sunday. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Travel at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the FAA said Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airport in the country, could encounter difficulties from low staffing in the afternoon.

The FAA warned travelers in the state to consult airlines about updated departure times.

The situation precedes the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak periods to fly in the United States.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It prompted a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the federal closure after 35 days.