Major airports across the country saw flight delays this weekend amid growing staffing issues among air traffic controllers.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary ground stop on Sunday because of a staffing shortage at a South California air traffic facility.
Flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were temporarily halted at their originating airports at 11:42 a.m. EDT. The ground stop was lifted at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
The ground stop came shortly after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that air traffic controllers are struggling amid the ongoing government shutdown, which has stretched nearly four weeks.
He warned that travelers should expect more delays this week. On Thursday, Duffy said at a press conference that he “can’t guarantee” that flights will not be delayed or canceled.
“The controllers are wearing thin,” he said on Sunday. “They’re taking second jobs, they’re out there looking, ‘Can I drive Uber, can I find another source of income to make ends meet?’”
“My message has been to the controllers, ‘Show up, that’s your job. Eventually, you’re [going to] be paid.’ But there’s real-life situations that they’re dealing with, with their families,” Duffy said Sunday.
He said 22 air traffic controller staffing triggers occurred at airports across the country on Saturday, the highest number to date during the shutdown. Air traffic controllers are working without pay during the funding lapse.
Earlier this month, Duffy told Fox Business Network that the share of delays stemming from staffing issues has jumped from its typical mark of 5 percent to 53 percent amid the shutdown.
Staffing shortages of air traffic controllers also caused delayed at Newark Liberty International Airport and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Meyers, according to the FAA.
The FAA said it slowed traffic to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport, as well, as a result of staffing delays.
The Associated Press contributed.
