shortage air traffic controller The Federal Aviation Administration warned on Wednesday that more flights could be delayed as concerns grow about the impact of the outbreak. government shutdown About American Airlines.

about 10,000 flight There were delays on Monday and Tuesday, but the number of outages dropped to more than 2,500 on Wednesday. In addition to personnel issues, weather or other reasons may also cause delays. But already thin air traffic control staffing shortages this week prompted the FAA to slow or halt flights to places like Burbank, California, and Nashville, Tennessee.

transportation secretary Sean Duffy The FAA has seen a “slight increase” in sick calls to air traffic controllers, it warned on Monday.

He also said closure Adding to concerns about stress on air traffic controllers, a shortage has vexed airline executives for years.

“Nearly 11,000 fully certified controllers remain on the job, many working six-day weeks and 10-hour shifts, demonstrating extraordinary dedication to safely guiding millions of passengers to their destinations, all without being paid during this grounding,” the air traffic controllers union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in a statement.

The FAA warned of possible staffing issues at Newark Liberty International Airport earlier Wednesday, but that warning had been dismissed by the afternoon. Newark did not experience a large number of flight delays.

The government shutdown entered its eighth day on Wednesday as the Senate once again failed to pass a funding proposal.

Duffy told CNBC on Tuesday that “scream box“No airport has an ongoing air traffic controller staffing problem and Congress is urged to pass an appropriations bill.

“The conversations and fights that are taking place are supposedly about what will come to fruition by the end of this year,” he said. “Open up the government and spend months having conversations and negotiations, but let’s not use this as leverage against hard-working Americans to keep our skies safe for political gain.”

period closure“Essential” workers like air traffic controllers and TSA agents continue to work without pay, while many other employees are being housed take a vacation.

A more than month-long outage that began in late 2018 ended early the next year, hours after a shortage of air traffic controllers caused air travel in New York to grind to a halt.