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Federal officials temporarily were forced to restrict flights on Friday, Jan. 25 in and out of LaGuardia Airport due to a shortage of air-traffic controllers as the shutdown reaches its 35th day.
“We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two facilities,” a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. “We’ve mitigated the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic and increasing spacing between aircraft when needed. The results have been minimal impacts to efficiency while maintaining consistent levels of safety in the national airspace system.”
On the FAA website, it is reporting that due to staffing issues, departure traffic is subject to a ground delay program. The FAA advised that travelers check their departure airport to see if their flights may have been impacted. Newark Airport was also put on a similar delay program due to staffing concerns.
The FAA’s website cited shortages at two facilities, including one near Washington, which manages air traffic. According to the FAA, the temporary restrictions affect arriving and departing flights at the airport. Arriving flights were delayed an average of 41 minutes and departures were experiencing delays between 15 and 29 minutes.
“The President has been briefed and we are monitoring the ongoing delays at some airports," The White House said in a statement. "We are in regular contact with officials at the Department of Transportation and the FAA.”
"The Trump Shutdown has claimed more victims: some of our nation’s busiest airports," Congresswoman Nita Lowey wrote in an email. "After 35 days, the president and Republicans must end the shutdown, get federal employees like air traffic controllers paid and back to work, and then join Democrats for serious negotiations on border security.”
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