November 4, 2025 | 06:42 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Airports across the United States have been thrown into chaos as the ongoing government shutdown cripples operations, forcing mass flight delays and cancellations due to mounting pressure on unpaid air traffic controllers.
Many are now unable to report for duty due to exhaustion, leading to severe staffing shortages nationwide.
Flight tracking website FlightAware reported that more than 16,700 flights were delayed and 2,282 canceled between Friday and Sunday.
Disruptions persisted into Monday evening, with over 4,000 additional delays and 600 cancellations recorded at major airports including Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Fort Worth, Denver, and Newark.
The FAA said on X that half of the “Core 30” major airport facilities were suffering critical staff shortages. Absenteeism rates among air traffic controllers in the New York area have reached as high as 80 percent.
“When staffing shortages occur, the FAA will reduce the flow of air traffic to maintain safety. This may result in delays or cancellations,” the agency said.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy echoed the FAA’s concerns, emphasizing that safety remains the top priority even as the crisis deepens.
“We work overtime to make sure the system is safe. And we will slow traffic down, you’ll see delays, we’ll have flights cancelled to make sure the system is safe,” he said during an interview with CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday.
Duffy also expressed sympathy for the unpaid workers, saying they will not face termination for missing shifts.
“When they’re making decisions to feed their families, I’m not going to fire air traffic controllers,” he said.
The government shutdown, now entering its 35th day on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, is set to tie the 2018–2019 closure as the longest in US history.
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, at least 670,000 civilian federal employees have been furloughed, while another 730,000 continue working without pay.
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