As the US government shutdown continues, the staffing shortage in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the fifth-busiest airport in the country and one of the busiest in the world, has triggered a temporary ground stop, according to the order by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
According to a report by The Hill, the restriction applies to flights departing from airspace managed by the Los Angeles and Oakland air traffic control centers that are scheduled to arrive at LAX.
Meanwhile, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has predicted more flight delays and cancellations as the air traffic controllers continue to work without pay during the federal government shutdown.
“The controllers are wearing thin,” Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox
News.
The FAA has reported over 900 total delay minutes so far, with some flights waiting up to 87 minutes and average delays around 49 minutes.
The head of the air traffic controllers union, Nick Daniels, said: “As this shutdown continues, and air traffic controllers are not paid for the vital work that they do day in and day out, that leads to an unnecessary distraction. They cannot be 100% focused on their jobs, which makes this system less safe. Every day that this shutdown continues, tomorrow, we’ll be less safe than today.”
The shutdown, triggered by a deadlock over a spending plan, has deepened partisan rifts in Washington. Democrats insist that any agreement to reopen the government must include funding for health care programs, while Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has maintained he “won’t negotiate” until those demands are withdrawn.
The shutdown has triggered widespread disruptions, from frozen paychecks to stalled services. But now, the financial paralysis is knocking on the doors of the highest court in the land. The US Supreme Court is about to run out of money, and federal courts across the country are close behind.
The longest shutdown in US history occurred between December 22, 2018, and January 25, 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term. That one lasted 35 days and ended only after Trump dropped his demand for border wall funding in exchange for reopening the government.
