US transportation chief: Airspace could close if shutdown threatens flight safety

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that he would close American airspace if officials deemed air travel unsafe, as the government shutdown extends into its second month.

“If we thought that it was unsafe, we’ll shut the whole airspace down,” Duffy said in an interview with CNBC on November 3, adding that the situation had not yet reached that point but that the ongoing shutdown was increasing risks across the aviation system.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was forced to reduce air traffic at numerous airports last week due to a growing shortage of air traffic controllers, many of whom have been working without pay since the shutdown began on October 1.

The disruptions persisted over the weekend, with the FAA temporarily suspending flights into Newark Liberty International Airport near New York on Sunday evening because of staffing shortfalls. According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, these problems caused the cancellation of 9% of flights and delays for 36% of flights at the busy airport.

Airlines for America, a trade association representing major US airlines, said on Monday that more than 3.2 million passengers have been affected by flight cancellations and delays linked to the staffing crisis since the shutdown began.

The prolonged delays are also threatening US airlines’ ability to accurately forecast flight capacity and maximise profits during the critical holiday travel season, which will begin in earnest with Thanksgiving later this month.

According to the US Travel Association and hundreds of other travel-related organisations and companies, America’s travel industry has already lost over $4 billion as a result of the shutdown. In a letter to lawmakers on Monday, the group warned that the situation would only worsen if the standoff continues.

“With Thanksgiving, the busiest travel period of the year, imminently approaching, the consequences of a continued shutdown will be immediate, deeply felt by millions of American travellers,” the letter stated.

The federal government shutdown, which began on October 1, was triggered by Congress’s failure to reach an agreement on a budget for the new fiscal year. President Donald Trump has blamed Democrats for the deadlock, saying he would use the shutdown to implement major staff reductions and eliminate what he described as “unnecessary” government programs.

About 1.4 million federal employees have either been furloughed or are working without pay as a result. The current shutdown is now the second longest in US history, following the 35-day funding lapse that occurred during Trump’s first term in late 2018 and early 2019.

By Tamilla Hasanova