According to multiple reports, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that flights to Los Angeles, California have been grounded due to air traffic controller staffing shortages during the ongoing government shutdown.
The agency's announcement of the “temporary shutdown” reportedly came after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News that “more supervisors were calling in sick as financial problems” continued to pile up during the shutdown. according to for ABC News.
WATCH – Disaster of a democratic airline! Trump describes air traffic controllers' problems caused by Schumer's stop:
The grounding of flights to Los Angeles “was delayed at origin airports beginning at 11:42 a.m. ET,” with the FAA projecting the grounding to end around 1:30 p.m., the outlet reported.
By socket:
During an appearance on Fox News' “Sunday Morning Features,” Duffy said more supervisors are coming into work sick as worries about money add to the stress of an already demanding job.
“Just yesterday… we had 22 frame triggers. That's one of the highest numbers we've seen in the system since the shutdown began. And that's a sign that the controllers are worn out,” he said.
The FAA said planes heading to Los Angeles were delayed at their departure airports starting at 11:42 a.m. ET, resulting in delays averaging an hour and 40 minutes. The agency said it expects to lift the ground stop at 1:30 p.m. ET but may continue to restrict traffic in Los Angeles.
The FAA's announcement comes after flights to places like Phoenix, Houston and San Diego were also delayed Friday due to staffing shortages. according to To Politician.
Before that, according to the publication, flights at LaGuardia Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, among others, experienced delays as they also dealt with air traffic controller staffing issues.
Duffy has previously said the “level of stress” air traffic controllers are “currently under” is unacceptable.
