As the government shutdown stretches toward a record-breaking length, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is warning that parts of the nation’s airspace could soon be shut down for safety reasons as soon as next week.
“You will see mass flight delays, you’ll see mass cancellations,” Duffy said Tuesday at a press conference in Philadelphia. “And you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it, because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”
Duffy emphasized that closures would only happen if safety could not be guaranteed.
“We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s not safe,” he said.
Since the shutdown began on October 1, Duffy has consistently said commercial air travel remains safe. However, that safety has come at a cost. Flights are being slowed to accommodate limited staffing, leading to increased delays.
“It’s not moving as many flights as possible, it’s moving as many flights as possible safely,” Duffy explained at a recent House GOP press conference.
Air traffic controllers have been working without pay, and more are calling out sick. Duffy has asked them to avoid side jobs like Uber or DoorDash because of the intense focus their role requires.
“As every day goes by, I think the problem is going to only get worse. Not better,” Duffy said.
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, added urgency to Duffy’s concerns.
“Air traffic controllers have to have 100% of focus 100% of the time,” Daniels stated. “And I’m watching air traffic controllers going to work. I’m getting the stories.”
