Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Tuesday that parts of U.S. airspace could be forced to shut down if the ongoing government shutdown continues into next week.
‘You Will See Mass Chaos’
Duffy said the Department of Transportation may have no choice but to close certain areas of airspace due to severe staffing shortages among air traffic controllers. “If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos,” Duffy said. “You will see mass flight delays, mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it.”
Air Traffic Control at a Breaking Point
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, nearly half of the nation’s major air traffic control facilities are facing critical staffing shortages. Controllers are currently working without pay due to the shutdown.
Duffy told ABC’s This Week that safety remains the top priority despite the disruptions. “We will delay, we will cancel any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe,” he said, noting that a ground stop was already in effect at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Safety Risks Rising
“There is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that’s doing two jobs instead of one,” Duffy warned, emphasizing that the situation will worsen if Congress fails to end the shutdown soon.
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