Flights at airports on the East Coast were delayed Friday morning due to staffing shortages due to the federal government shutdown that entered its 35th day on Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced at 11 a.m. ET that it experienced a “slight increase in sick leave at two facilities,” adding that as a result, it was “augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft when needed.”
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The shortage left several airports with flight delays, including Hartsfield-Jackson LaGuardia Airport in New York, Philadelphia International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Atlanta International Airport, Reagan International Airport in Washington, DC, and Tampa International Airport. FAA officials told NBC News that the regional air traffic control centers that are affected are the “en route” centers in Washington, DC, and Jacksonville, Florida, creating a ripple effect to air traffic at airports like LaGuardia.
All flights into and out of LaGuardia were temporarily halted, with the ripple effect causing delays in Newark and Philadelphia.
The delays came a day after elected officials and union leaders warned about dangers posed to the nation’s air traffic system because of the prolonged government shutdown.
“This is exactly what [Association of Flight Attendants] and other aviation unions have been warning would happen. The aviation system depends on the safety professionals who make it run,” said Sara Nelson, the group’s president. “They have been doing unbelievably heroic work even as they are betrayed by the government that employs them. They are fatigued, worried and distracted, but they won’t risk our safety. So the planes will stay on the ground. This is anything but a sickout — it is only about our safety and the air traffic controllers’ absolute commitment to it.”
Many federal workers, including TSA officers and air traffic controllers, have been working without pay since the shutdown began. They normally would have been paid Friday.
A map of flight delay information can be found at the FAA’s website here.
