Running on Empty: Air Traffic Control in a Government Shutdown

America’s air traffic control system is short-staffed, overstressed, and now operating without pay — a fragile network feeling the strain of Washington’s dysfunction.

America’s air traffic system is running on fumes — and the government shutdown just pushed it into the red.

More than 2,500 flights were delayed on Wednesday alone, and it’s not the weather. It’s the people — or rather, the lack of them. The Department of Transportation says controllers calling out sick now account for more than half of all delays nationwide. The Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, went on FOX News to urge controllers to “show up for work.”

That may sound simple enough from the comfort of a Washington TV studio. But the people in those towers and radar rooms — the ones guiding aluminum tubes filled with passengers through crowded skies — are working six days a week without pay. Many are exhausted, and some are understandably fed up.

I spoke about this on PBS NewsHour on Wednesday. The reality is, the air traffic control system has been running on fumes for years. The FAA is short about 3,000 certified controllers, and the pipeline for new recruits is backlogged. Even in normal times, a single sick call can mean reduced capacity at a major airport. When dozens call out across multiple hubs — Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Chicago, Newark — the whole network starts to wobble.

This week, Burbank Airport in California went without controllers in its tower for several hours. That sounds terrifying — but the system has safety nets. Radar control can be handed off to another facility, in this case the Southern California TRACON in San Diego, more than a hundred miles away. Pilots can also rely on established radio procedures at so-called “uncontrolled” airports. It’s safe — but it’s not fast. At a large airport, efficiency goes out the window.

Multiply that slowdown across the country, and you get the situation we’re in now: a system designed for redundancy and resilience, slowly grinding under the weight of exhaustion and politics.

The ripple effects go beyond flight delays. On Sunday, the Essential Air Service (EAS) program will run out of money if the shutdown continues. It’s one of those obscure Washington programs that quietly keeps the country connected — funding regional flights to 177 small communities across all 50 states and Puerto Rico, including 60 in Alaska.

These are not luxury routes. They’re lifelines — the only way to reach hospitals, deliver medicine, or maintain small-town economies. When those subsidies dry up, airlines can’t afford to keep flying. For many of these communities, the only alternative is a long drive — or, in Alaska’s case, an impossible one.

All of this underscores something I’ve seen throughout my years covering aviation: the FAA is built to ensure safety. Safety margins are sacrosanct — and controllers will slow or even stop traffic before they compromise them. That’s why air travel remains extraordinarily safe, even in a shutdown. But the agency’s ability to adapt, modernize, and plan ahead has been eroded by years of budget brinkmanship and political dysfunction.

As I told Amna Nawaz on Wednesday, travelers shouldn’t worry about safety — but they should plan for delays. Arrive early. And if you can, book morning flights. Those are the least likely to be delayed, because the day’s problems haven’t yet had time to cascade.

Ultimately, this isn’t just about air travel. It’s about the invisible infrastructure that holds the country together — systems run by professionals who keep working even when Washington doesn’t. Controllers, inspectors, maintenance crews, and safety specialists are doing their jobs without pay because the system calls them “essential.” That’s a heavy word when the people carrying it are paying the price.

So, yes — the skies remain safe. But the strain is showing. And if this shutdown drags on, we may discover that even the most finely tuned system can’t glide forever without fuel.

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