Flight delays and cancellations imposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation continued Sunday as some air-traffic controllers skip work since they aren’t being paid during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Controllers are considered essential workers and have been instructed to continue working despite the shutdown. But after going without paychecks for nearly a month, some have taken second jobs or are calling in sick, compounding existing staffing shortages, National Air Traffic Controllers Association officials told reporters.
Federal transportation officials said this has led to “staffing triggers” at air traffic facilities nationally, leading to “strain on the system.”
To combat the shortages and avoid safety issues, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that capacity would be reduced at 40 high-volume airports through at least Friday.
According to a DOT statement issued Thursday night, flight capacity at the affected airports would be cut by 4% through Monday, 6% on Tuesday, 8% Thursday and 10% by next Friday.
As of 6 p.m. Sunday, 94 outbound flights at LAX had been canceled since Friday, including 40 on Sunday, according to the tracking website FlightAware.
Hollywood Burbank Airport on Sunday had six canceled, and John Wayne Airport in Orange County had eight cancellations Sunday, according to FlightAware.
Long Beach Airport had two cancellations Sunday while Ontario International Airport had eight Sunday.
The website said 8,651 flights were delayed nationwide and 2,954 were canceled Sunday.
In addition to capacity reductions, the Federal Aviation Administration is also limiting commercial space launches and re-entries to the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time. Parachute operations and photo missions near affected airports were also being prohibited.
Airports in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Ontario are among those impacted by the capacity cuts, but airfields not among the 40 on the list could still see ripple-effect impacts on flight operations.
The Daily News contributed to this story.
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