Shutdown Triggers Air Traffic Controller Shortages, Delays Nationwide

(UNITED STATES) A nationwide wave of air traffic controller shortages tied to the ongoing October 2025 government shutdown is causing widespread flight delays and cancellations across the country. Several major airports report severe operational strain as facilities run critically understaffed. Controllers are classified as essential workers and must report even without pay. Union officials say stress, unpaid status, and rising sick calls are thinning ranks further, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to slow air traffic into affected airports to protect safety. That approach, while necessary, directly produces longer taxi times, holds, and scrapped flights.

Airports from Hollywood Burbank to Phoenix, Denver, Newark, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas, and Indianapolis have reported reduced staffing and operational constraints. The situation turned especially stark at Burbank, where the control tower went completely unmanned for nearly six hours on October 6, 2025, prompting average delays of over 2.5 hours and more than 80 flights delayed or canceled.

On October 7, 2025, nearly 6,000 flights were delayed nationwide, including 42% of Chicago O’Hare departures and 23% of Burbank departures, underscoring the scope of disruption.

Scope and severity across the network

The ripple effects extend far beyond a handful of airports. Nashville International saw average delays exceeding two hours, while Dallas and Chicago recorded average delays of roughly 30 and 40 minutes, respectively.

Some control facilities are operating with staffing levels down by as much as 50%, a reduction that can slow the entire arrival and departure flow for hours. When a tower or approach control is short on certified controllers, FAA managers reduce rates to keep spacing safe. That means fewer takeoffs and landings per hour and longer holds, even when the weather is clear.

The strain has laid bare a systemic gap that long predates the shutdown. At the start of 2025:

• Only 2 out of 313 U.S. airports met FAA staffing targets
• 91% of facilities were below recommended levels

This pre-existing shortfall—driven by slow hiring, lengthy training, and attrition—is now amplified by the shutdown’s unpaid work requirements. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the immediate result is a sharp increase in operational bottlenecks as already thin rosters try to cover more overnight and extended shifts without relief.

FAA officials emphasize that safety remains the top priority. When a tower cannot be staffed, a remote facility may take over. In Southern California, the San Diego-based TRACON has stepped in to handle Burbank traffic during outages. Even so, that workaround cannot erase the delays caused by reduced acceptance rates and reroutes. With multiple facilities reporting fewer certified controllers on position, the agency continues to meter traffic to avoid overloading sectors.

Important: Reduced acceptance rates and metering are safety measures that directly cause longer taxi times, flight holds, and cancellations.

Workforce stress and traveler impact

Union leaders have been candid about the pressures workers face. Striking is illegal, but absenteeism is rising as controllers juggle unpaid bills, long shifts, and family responsibilities. Some are seeking second jobs to stay afloat, leaving fewer people available for overtime or sudden coverage gaps. That cycle worsens staffing shortages and feeds back into longer ground stops, gate holds, and cancellations felt by travelers.

For passengers, the clearest signals and recommended actions are:

• Check flight status frequently and arrive earlier than usual.
• Build extra time into any connection involving busy hubs like Chicago O’Hare or Dallas.
• Expect rolling changes; a flight on time at check-in may be delayed after pushback if arrival rates drop.
• If a flight cancels, ask your airline about same-day reaccommodation and monitor alternate nearby airports.
• For essential trips, consider the first flights of the day, which often recover faster after overnight resets.

The FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center posts operational advisories and delay programs that can help passengers gauge conditions at specific airports. Travelers can monitor current initiatives and airport impacts via the FAA advisory portal: https://www.fly.faa.gov/adv/advAdvisoryForm.jsp?title=Airport%20Delays. While the information is technical, it shows when the system is metering arrivals or departures due to staffing.

Training, hiring, and long-term challenges

Behind the scenes, the shutdown is compounding training and scheduling challenges. Even after it ends, backlogs and disruptions may continue as the system works through accumulated delays and staffing gaps.

Key points:

• Hiring and training new controllers take time; certification at busy facilities can require months of instruction and on-the-job training.
• Both the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) say accelerated hiring and training are needed to address systemic shortfalls that have lingered for years.
• The shutdown’s unpaid status for controllers increases fatigue, burnout, and absenteeism—factors that further reduce available staffing and force conservative traffic rates.

At airports like Burbank, the consequences have been stark and visible. A completely unmanned tower for nearly six hours is rare in a major U.S. metro area. Handovers to remote facilities keep aircraft moving under careful procedures, but they cannot replicate normal capacity. Nashville’s multi-hour delays and the high share of delayed departures at O’Hare show how quickly understaffing can weigh on the national network once multiple nodes encounter the same constraints.

Airlines are adjusting resource plans while they wait for stability. With staffing down by as much as half in some locations, carriers face:

• Tight crew duty windows and aircraft scheduling limits
• Frequent cascading cancellations when crews exceed legal duty times
• The potential for schedule thinning and sustained capacity limits if the shutdown continues

What to expect going forward

While the FAA and NATCA continue to manage daily operations, both point to the need for a durable fix: hiring must outpace attrition, and training pipelines need steady funding and time to produce fully certified controllers.

For now, the pattern is clear: as long as the shutdown persists, air traffic controller shortages will drive flight delays and cancellations, compounding each day’s schedule with yesterday’s unresolved disruptions.

The public can expect continued updates as agencies and unions assess staffing, operational plans, and safety needs in real time. Until then, the best traveler strategy is preparation:

• Build in buffers
• Follow airline alerts
• Watch FAA advisories closely

The system is designed to protect safety first, even if it means longer lines, late arrivals, and missed connections. In a prolonged government shutdown, that safety-first approach—and the staffing crisis behind it—will continue to shape how and when the country flies.