Air traffic controller shortages emerge, US transportation secretary says

27/10/2025 6:28

U.S. airports reported more than 20 incidents of air traffic controller shortages on Saturday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, in the latest sign of the government shutdown's impact.



Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work even if they are not being paid during the shutdown, which started on October 1 as lawmakers deadlocked over the federal budget.



The Trump administration has warned that flight disruptions will increase as controllers miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday.



The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday had 22 "triggers" that indicated shortages of air traffic controllers, Duffy told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" program. He called that figure "one of the highest that we've seen in the system" since October 1.