US: Hundreds of flights delayed amid government shutdown

On October 8, hundreds of flights across the United States were delayed due to staff shortages caused by the ongoing government shutdown, according to data from FlightAware.

On October 8, passengers experienced delays on 861 flights, while around 30 services were cancelled. The previous day saw nearly 4,000 flights fail to depart on time.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reported a shortage of personnel at airports in major cities, including Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia, as well as at air traffic control centres in Atlanta, Houston and other locations.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on October 6 that staffing issues were being exacerbated by funding problems, with an increasing number of airport employees taking sick leave and failing to report for duty.

The disruption comes after US government agencies partially shut down at midnight on October 1, following Congress’s failure to agree on legislation to extend funding.

By Aghakazim Guliyev