BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
- Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said 53% of flight delays in the US are being caused by staffing issues.
- That’s compared to around 5% before the government shutdown, which began last week.
- Airports around the US have seen delays as more air traffic controllers call in sick.
Planning a flight soon? It’s 10 times as likely to be delayed due to short staffing as before the government shutdown.
“Historically, there’s about 5% of delays attributed to staffing issues in our towers,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show.”
“The last couple of days, it’s been 53%,” he added.
There are some 13,000 air traffic controllers in the US, who still have to work during the shutdown but are set to miss their first paycheck next Tuesday.
Slightly more controllers than usual are calling in sick, Duffy said at a Monday press conference.
“Those who have shown up, I’m grateful for them and their service, but the bottom line is these controllers are stressed out, and they’re rebelling on this shutdown because they may not get paid,” he told Will Cain.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said that nearly 11,000 controllers are still working, with some doing 10-hour shifts up to six days a week.
Wednesday was the third day that the Federal Aviation Administration delayed flights at some US airports due to understaffing.
Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., experienced average delays of 31 minutes, with a maximum of 1 hour and 19 minutes, according to an FAA advisory.
Flights arriving at Newark were also told to expect delays up to 30 minutes due to staffing.
Several airports were also affected on Tuesday, with flights inbound to Nashville averaging delays of over two hours.
And Monday saw Hollywood Burbank Airport’s air traffic control tower unstaffed for six hours.
Pilots had to communicate with each other to handle taxiing on the ground, while passengers could expect delays of up to four hours, per the FAA.
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