Staffing shortages among air traffic controllers impacted flights out of Denver International Airport on Monday evening amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday evening reported that staffing shortages were creating delays at airports in Denver, Burbank, California, and Newark, New Jersey.
The worst problems were in Burbank, where California Gov. Gavin Newsom said no controllers were on duty during the evening, leading to average delays of two-and-a-half hours at that airport.
In Denver, arriving flights were delayed an average of 39 minutes Monday, with the longest delay at 95 minutes, according to .
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday said the government shutdown is putting more stress on air traffic controllers, who are expected to continue working without a paycheck. They will only be paid once the shutdown ends.
Duffy said there have started to be instances of controllers calling out sick, leading to shortages.
“If we think there’s issues in the airspace, we will shut it down,” he said. “We will close it down. We will delay.”
More than 160 flights had been delayed at DIA on Tuesday through late afternoon, with two cancellations, according to . Federal aviation authorities had not issued an alert Tuesday saying whether those delays were due to staffing shortages.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
