According to Reuters on the 27th local time, with the continued "shutdown" of the U.S. federal government, the number of absent air traffic controllers has surged, causing more than 5,600 flights across the United States to be delayed on that day. On the 26th, more than 8,800 flights were also forced to be delayed due to the same issue across the country.
The report said that because the two parties in the U.S. Congress cannot reach an agreement on the government budget, approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees across the country are unable to receive their pay even if they work. This has led many staff to refuse to attend work, resulting in a significant shortage of personnel at many U.S. airports and thus affecting operational efficiency.
The report introduced that the current number of air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration is 3,500 less than the required number, and many staff were already working six days a week before the government shutdown, which was already overburdened. The government shutdown has further exacerbated this issue.
A U.S. Department of Transportation official said that using the data from the 26th as an example, the normal delay rate for civil aviation flights in the United States is around 5%, but this figure reached 44% on that day.
The U.S. government has also warned that although October 28 was supposed to be the pay day, air traffic controllers still cannot receive their wages, so flight delays may further worsen.
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