(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) Chicago O’Hare International Airport recorded the most flight delays in the United States 🇺🇸 on Tuesday night as an acute air traffic controller shortage tied to the ongoing federal government shutdown forced reduced operations at the nation’s second-busiest hub. Average delays reached 41 minutes for both departures and arrivals as of late Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, and the Federal Aviation Administration said disruptions would stretch roughly nine hours into the overnight period, until about 4 a.m. Wednesday.
The FAA confirmed O’Hare’s tower operated with only partial staffing from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday, prompting a formal ground delay program to slow the flow of traffic into the airport. Officials pointed to a mix of same-day sick calls and long-running staffing gaps at key facilities, both made worse by the funding lapse. Air traffic controllers are classified as essential employees, which means they must report for duty during a shutdown but do not receive pay until funding is restored. The strain has triggered higher absenteeism, forcing the agency to reduce the number of flights allowed to arrive each hour in order to keep operations safe.
O’Hare handles nearly 5,000 flights on a typical Tuesday and recently posted its busiest month on record, amplifying the effect when staffing falls short. The FAA said it slowed arrivals to match available personnel, a safety-first step that keeps planes spaced appropriately but sends delays cascading across airlines’ schedules. By Tuesday evening, O’Hare delays eclipsed those at all other U.S. airports.
O’Hare’s nine-hour slowdown and national ripple effects
The impact was not contained to Chicago. Other airports also suffered significant disruptions tied to the same conditions.
- Nashville (BNA) experienced knock-on schedule problems.
- Burbank (BUR) saw its tower close entirely for nearly six hours on Monday night, halting normal operations.
These local shocks ripple through the network, especially when a major hub endures a slowdown, because missed slots, missed connections, and crew timing rules accumulate and reduce flexibility through the night.
Union leaders urged stability amid the turmoil. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) encouraged members to keep reporting for duty, stressing that any coordinated job actions are illegal and could lead to removal from federal service. At the same time, NATCA has pressed for immediate relief for unpaid controllers working high-stress positions. While controllers must work during a shutdown, the paycheck delay has added real pressure at facilities already coping with chronic staffing limits.
On Capitol Hill, congressional leaders weighed emergency measures to pay air traffic controllers and military members during the shutdown, but as of Wednesday, Oct. 8, no deal had been reached. With the funding lapse unresolved, the FAA said it would continue to adjust airport arrival rates to match available staffing. For passengers, that means variable delays that can grow or shrink by hour and by airport as overnight and early-morning schedules reset.
At O’Hare, airlines adjusted departure banks and rerouted some flights to adapt to the ground delay program. Carriers also warned customers that aircraft and crew may not be in the right place at the right time after a long slowdown, which can lead to residual delays the following morning even after staffing returns closer to normal.
Expect disruptions until federal funding is restored and staffing stabilizes. The FAA’s priority is safety; arrival rates are being reduced to match certified controller availability.
What travelers should do during an FAA shutdown
Officials repeated one core message: expect disruptions until federal funding is restored and staffing stabilizes. Travelers should check flight status early and often on airline apps and airport websites, and allow additional time at the airport in case gate changes or rolling delays alter boarding plans.
The FAA’s real-time national planning advisories page provides operational alerts and delay programs that affect major hubs, including Chicago O’Hare; passengers and travel managers can review those updates at the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center advisories.
Key points for anyone flying through O’Hare while the FAA shutdown continues:
– Expect average delays around 41 minutes during peak disruptions, with the length changing as staffing and weather shift.
– Late-day and evening flights may face bigger schedule swings because earlier slowdowns compress capacity into fewer arrival slots.
– If you have a tight connection at O’Hare, consider rebooking to a longer layover or a morning flight that is less exposed to the evening staffing window.
– Monitor airline alerts and rebooking options; many carriers waive change fees during ground delay programs at major hubs.
Why the shortage is happening and its broader effects
The government shutdown remains the central driver of the current air traffic controller shortage. Because controllers are essential employees working without pay, sick leave and absenteeism have risen, and that has limited tower and center staffing in several regions. Chicago’s delays on Tuesday were the clearest example.
The FAA took the conservative step of reducing hourly arrivals to match the number of certified controllers on duty, citing safety as the non-negotiable priority. O’Hare’s outsized role in domestic and international travel magnifies the effect. When a hub with nearly 5,000 Tuesday flights slows for most of the afternoon and evening, downstream airports absorb delays as aircraft and crews push back, hold, or divert. Even a brief ground delay program can ripple through the night; a nine-hour constraint predictably reaches coast to coast.
NATCA’s stance reflects the tense legal and personal balance controllers face. The union told members to remain on the job and warned that organized job actions are illegal, while also describing the stress of working complex traffic patterns without timely pay. The FAA is trying to shield the system by cutting traffic to levels the current staff can safely handle.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, extended staffing gaps at a hub like O’Hare can cause rolling delays that outlast the initial trigger, because airlines must reset aircraft positions and crew duty schedules after the disruption. That reset often takes until the next off-peak period to clear.
Current status and traveler takeaways
For now, the FAA has not signaled a timeline for restoring normal hourly arrival rates at O’Hare beyond the end of Tuesday night’s nine-hour slowdown. With congressional talks still underway and no resolution by Wednesday morning, travelers should prepare for the possibility of fresh ground delay programs when staffing again falls below required levels. The late-afternoon to late-evening window—from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Tuesday—was particularly fragile.
The shutdown’s reach extended beyond Chicago. The near six-hour overnight closure of Burbank’s tower on Monday demonstrated how smaller facilities can face even sharper impacts when staffing thins. Nashville’s schedule disruptions showed how hub-and-spoke networks react when one or two nodes falter. As always, weather, runway work, and local demand also influence day-of delays, but this week’s dominant factor was the air traffic controller shortage linked to the FAA shutdown.
Airlines and airport officials continue to advise patience and planning:
– Check in early.
– Keep an eye on gate notifications.
– If a connection depends on an evening bank at O’Hare, consider alternate routes or a longer layover.
Until Congress restores funding and the FAA can staff towers and centers at normal levels, the mix of sick calls and chronic staffing issues is likely to keep pressure on schedule reliability at O’Hare and other busy fields. For passengers, the most reliable strategy is to stay flexible and informed as conditions evolve hour by hour.
This Article in a Nutshell
On Oct. 7, 2025, Chicago O’Hare recorded the most severe flight delays nationwide after an air traffic controller shortage tied to the federal government shutdown forced the airport to operate with partial tower staffing from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. The FAA implemented a ground delay program, reducing hourly arrival rates to match certified controllers on duty, which led to average delays of about 41 minutes for arrivals and departures. The slowdown lasted roughly nine hours and created network-wide ripple effects, including disruptions in Nashville and a prior six-hour Burbank tower closure. NATCA urged members to keep reporting for duty while pressing for pay relief. With Congress still debating emergency measures as of Oct. 8, travelers were advised to monitor flight status, allow more time at airports, and consider rebooking tight connections until funding and staffing normalize.
