The Federal Shutdown Has Grounded America’s Aviation System

The federal shutdown has thrown a wrench in U.S. air travel since it began in October. Over 3.4 million passengers have experienced delays due to staffing shortages, while nearly half of the United States’ thirty busiest airports have reported major disruptions. 

Now, Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy is warning that things could get worse. If the shutdown drags on, up to ten percent of flights at major U.S. airports could be cut. 

With the nation’s air traffic control workforce operating at less than four-fifths of its already thin staffing capacity, Secretary Duffy cautioned that airports could soon descend into “mass chaos.” 

The truth is, the shutdown didn’t create this crisis—it merely exacerbated one that was already brewing. Roughly ninety percent of U.S. control towers are chronically understaffed, making even normal operations a game of Russian roulette. Air traffic controllers, TSA agents, technicians, and maintenance crews are all federal employees whose paychecks depend on annual budget negotiations in Congress. 

When lawmakers fail to act, those employees are left working without pay or benefits. The results are alarming but predictable. Many air traffic controllers call in sick, take on second jobs, or leave the profession entirely. This has led to major staffing shortfalls at hubs like Atlanta, Denver, and Newark, where passengers have waited hours just to board their flights. 

The shutdown has also frozen the very efforts meant to fix this problem. Secretary Duffy’s efforts to supercharge the nation’s air traffic controller workforce stopped when the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City—where new controller candidates train—closed its doors due to funding lapses. Each week the academy remains shuttered adds months to the pipeline for new controllers. 

Beyond the staffing crisis, the shutdown has sidelined critical modernization projects designed to upgrade America’s aging aviation infrastructure. In July, Congress unlocked $12.5 billion to overhaul radar, communications, and safety systems at airport facilities nationwide. But with no federal funding flowing, many of these projects have stalled mid-stream. 

Together, paused modernization and prolonged staffing gaps have created a perfect storm for the months ahead.

Secretary Duffy has proposed an additional $19 billion to fully modernize the nation’s aviation infrastructure—a move that could help the FAA catch up on overdue upgrades and restore efficiency to the system. Other actions by Congress could include establishing a separate, automatic funding mechanism for the FAA so that payroll, recruitment, and training efforts can continue uninterrupted during future shutdowns.

The ongoing budget battle in Washington has made one thing painfully clear: America’s airspace runs on borrowed time when politics interfere with operations. Once lawmakers return to Capitol Hill, they’ll have an opportunity to do more than restart the government—they can rebuild trust in the system by ensuring travelers are never again held hostage to political gridlock.