A week into the government shutdown, air traffic controller sick calls are beginning to cause delays and cancellations, as several airport towers and control facilities do not have enough staff to properly handle all flights.
Drivers are considered essential workers and are exempt from being furloughed during a shutdown. An estimated 13,294 drivers will continue to work without pay during the shutdown, according to the Department of Transportation’s shutdown plan.
California’s Burbank Airport was hit hardest on Monday and was forced to close its tower from 4:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. PDT because it had no air traffic controllers, according to FAA documents.
An American Eagle aircraft takes off from Hollywood Burbank Airport on October 6, 2025 in Burbank, California.
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The airport remained open, but flights were delayed on average by more than 2.5 hours. Controllers at a San Diego facility handled traffic in and out of Burbank during the tower closure.
“Clearance is closed. Ground is closed. Venue is closed. Tower is closed due to staffing. Simply contact SoCal at the 1-800 number in the green book for clearance,” a controller can be heard informing pilots of air traffic control recordings, referring to a published list of airport information.
Several other ATC facilities also experienced staffing issues Monday. Philadelphia Tracon (Terminal Radar Focus Control), Denver Center, Detroit Tracon, Indianapolis Center, Phoenix Airport and Phoenix Tracon also had advisories from Federal Aviation Administration personnel. More than 600 flights on Monday were delayed in and out of the Denver airport and more than 200 at the Phoenix airport.
“There have been increased staffing shortages across the system. When that happens, the FAA slows traffic at some airports to ensure safe operations,” the agency said in a statement to ABC News.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the union that represents controllers nationwide, said it is working with the FAA to mitigate any disruption to the national airspace.
“It is normal for some air traffic controllers to call in sick on any given day, and this is the latest example of how fragile our aviation system is amid a national shortage of these critical safety professionals,” Natca said in a statement to ABC News.
While ATC staffing is at critical levels across the country, it is rare to have impacts on flights due to staffing shortages in places like Arizona or California, according to FAA documents reviewed by ABC News.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news conference Monday that controller sick calls have been spread across the region and not from a specific airport or ATC facility, but he acknowledged that staffing levels at certain facilities have dropped by as much as 50 percent.
“We don’t have a facility that has had long-term issues with sick leave. But that’s concerning to me. And if someone has to take sick leave, to push Uber to make a difference, those are decisions they’re going to make. But of course, that’s concerning to us,” Duffy said.
“These are high-performance, high-performance, safety-driven professionals who I don’t want driving to work,” Duffy added. “I don’t want them to find a second job to pay the bills. I want them to get paid for the work they are doing today, keeping our planes in the air and our skies safe.”
Duffy met with controllers managing Newark airspace on Monday and said they expressed concern about the additional financial stress of the closure on an already demanding job.
The Hollywood Burbank Airport air traffic control tower is located on October 6, 2025 in Burbank, California.
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“The constant message from these controllers was that they’re not just thinking about the airspace and the jobs they have to do in these towers or tracon centers around the country. They’re thinking about ‘Am I going to get a paycheck?'” Duffy said. “So what you think since you’re controlling our airspace is, ‘How am I going to pay my mortgage? How do I make my car payment? I have a couple kids at home, how do I put food on the table? I’m working six days a week. Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I’m already exhausted from doing a job that’s already stressful to think about?’ “.
Air traffic controllers will receive a partial pay check on Oct. 14, but they will not be paid on Oct. 28 if the shutdown continues, according to NATCA. Under the Government Employees Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (GEFTA), controllers will receive subsequent pay after the shutdown ends.
The personnel crisis also led to some heated political exchanges on social media. California Governor Newsom Posted in xsaying, “Thank you @realDonaldTrump! Burbank Airport has zero air traffic controllers from 4:15 pm to 10 pm today due to their government shutdown.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pushed back against Newsom, destination“Flash News! Your Democrat friends are shutting down the government because they want to make Americans pay for health care for illegals. And no state has more illegals than California! You care more about illegals than our American air traffic controllers.
Another aspect of air travel affected by the shutdown, which is on the verge of running out of funds, is the Essential Air Service (EAS) program. Duffy said the EAS program, which provides airlines with subsidies to fly to rural areas that would otherwise have no air service because the route would not be profitable, will run out of funds on Sunday, October 12.
“Air carriers that continue to operate EAS flights beyond October 12, 2025, would do so at their own risk, as the department is unable to pay the contracted subsidy,” the DOT said in a notice. The notice also says that if operators continue to operate during the funding period, they could be repaid on a “rate basis,” meaning they may not receive the full amount owed.
The greatest impacts would be felt in Alaska, where air travel is the primary mode of transportation. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski Posted in x, Say: “The critical assistance these routes provide makes a disruption on any scale detrimental to these communities, and the local air carriers that serve them.”
Murkowski said she is working with the administration to find a solution.
