Airport chaos: Newark flight delays, air traffic controllers go without pay
The NATCA said, before the shutdown, the FAA was staffed at just below 11,000 fully certified controllers.
More Stories
Air traffic controllers are officially going without pay 30 days into the government shutdown.
According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, controllers received their first $0 paycheck this week for the last two weeks of work.
"There are some people who can survive to miss one paycheck. I don't know anyone as an air traffic controller or many Americans who can miss two or three," Mike Christine, Eastern Regional vice president at NATCA, said.
There were also significant delays at Newark airport on Wednesday and Thursday.
"A lot of wind and rain today, that will affect our arrival and departure rates. That's normal. The staffing, it has been well documented that we are incredibly short," Christine said of the reasons for the delays amidst the shutdown. "The stress on the system continues to weigh on us. Each day that this goes on, the distraction continues to escalate, and it introduces risk into a fragile system."
The NATCA said, before the shutdown, the FAA was staffed at just below 11,000 fully certified controllers.
That's almost 4,000 short of the agency's target level.
Now, Christine said staffing levels are dwindling further.
"We're seeing people withdraw out of the academy. We've seen retirements happen, and that's a concern...This 30-day shutdown now is going to have a long-lasting effect," Christine said.
