Nearly four weeks into the federal shutdown, staffing shortages at Los Angeles International Airport led to a temporary grounding Sunday morning, affecting flights at the West Coast’s largest and busiest airport.
The restriction began around 8:45 a.m., affecting departing flights to Oakland, and was lifted at 10:30 a.m., according to an advisory from the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center.
The grounding affected much of Southern California, causing passengers to have their flights delayed for about 49 minutes, with some waiting as long as 87 minutes, according to KTLA.
Even after flights resume, passengers are asked to check their flight status.
Since the federal shutdown began on Oct. 1, the Federal Aviation Administration has warned of chaos at airports due to staffing shortages. When the federal government shuts down, air traffic controllers must work without pay and cannot receive retroactive pay until Congress reaches an agreement on a budget.
Less than a week after the shutdown, the Hollywood Burbank Airport air traffic control tower was temporarily unmanned due to staffing shortages, causing dozens of flight delays and 12 cancellations. Departing flights are delayed on average 2 hours and 31 minutes.
Air traffic control towers at airports across the country have been experiencing staffing shortages this month. On Sunday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration’s operational plan listed several major airports experiencing “staffing triggers,” from Los Angeles International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia and Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that the problem is getting worse as more controllers call in sick without pay.
“I’ve been talking to air traffic controllers and you can see the pressure,” Duffy said on Fox News. “These are people who are typically living paycheck to paycheck, or a controller has a stay-at-home spouse. They’re worried about gas in the car, they’re worried about childcare and the mortgage.”
Duffy said 22 airports were experiencing staff shortages on Saturday.
“This is one of the highest levels we’ve seen in the system since the shutdown began,” he said. “This shows that the controller’s power is diminishing.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office quickly seized on the news about the problems at LAX and galvanized Duffy.
“Great job, @SecDuffy,” Newsom’s office posted on X, sharing a news story about the ground station at LAX. “Can’t wait to see what you do for NASA.”
This isn’t the first time a federal shutdown has triggered flight disruptions across the country.
In January 2019, a large number of air traffic controllers in New York City called in sick, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily suspend flights to LaGuardia Airport.
The chaos at LaGuardia and subsequent news reports of airport delays and threats to aviation security quickly prompted politicians to reach a deal. But this year, Republicans and Democrats in Washington appear to be deadlocked and no closer to a deal.
