USA Shutdown: US Secretary threatens to close airspace
In view of the ongoing government shutdown in the USA, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is warning of massive consequences for air traffic. If the shutdown continues for another week, there could be "massive chaos", said Duffy in Washington. In addition to delays and flight cancellations, it is conceivable that "certain parts of the airspace" could be closed to traffic.
04.11.2025, 20:09
SDA
The government shutdown has now lasted 35 days. The background to this is the dispute between Republicans and Democrats over a new budget law. Without an agreement, numerous federal authorities will only be able to work to a limited extent; around 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security staff from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will continue to work without pay. The staff shortages are affecting major airports in particular, where shifts cannot be fully staffed and air traffic is becoming increasingly congested.
The US aviation industry is already registering tens of thousands of delays. According to the FAA, 20 to 40 percent of air traffic controllers at some of the largest airports are absent due to unpaid work shifts. Since the start of the shutdown, almost half of the 30 busiest US airports have been affected by bottlenecks.
In 2019, similar outages ended the 35-day shutdown at that time. Duffy said he would shut down the entire system if flight safety was no longer guaranteed. He had already spoken about possible airspace closures on ABC News on Sunday. According to US media, he had previously indicated that he wanted to fire air traffic controllers who were absent without leave - now he said that the employees needed "support and a paycheck, not layoffs".
