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Staffing shortages at air traffic control for the second day cause delays

The Federal Aviation Administration announced in a Tuesday notice that staffing problems at air traffic control are affecting flights for the second day running.

FAA reported that some flights are being delayed at airports such as Nashville and Newark. Newark airport is experiencing delays of up to 30 minutes for arriving flights due to staffing problems.

The FAA reported that there were staffing problems at the Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center, and it said they could reduce arrivals per hour in Chicago O'Hare.

The severe weather also impacts flights in the United States.

A total of 13,000 air traffic control officers and approximately 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are still required to report for work during the shutdown. However, they will not be paid. Instead, controllers will receive a partial pay on October 14.

Sean Duffy, Transportation Secretary, said that since the start of the shutdown last week the FAA has seen an increase in sick leave. In some areas the staffing for air traffic has also been reduced by half.

We'll make sure that the airspace is safe if we don't use controllers. Duffy told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" Tuesday that they would slow down traffic.

FlightAware is a website that tracks flights. It reported Tuesday that more than 2,300 flights were delayed, including 200 in Nashville or about 20% of their flights.

The number of controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers absent during the 35-day shutdown in 2019 increased as employees missed paychecks. This led to longer waits at checkpoints. The authorities were forced to reduce air traffic in New York to put pressure on legislators to end the standoff.

(source: Reuters)