Air traffic controllers could hasten end to shutdown
NPR reports that air traffic controllers — a roughly 14,000‑person workforce whose 2019 sick‑leave shortages forced FAA traffic limits at major East Coast airports and helped spur a funding deal — are working without pay during the Oct. 2025 government shutdown. The Department of Transportation says it will keep the FAA controller training academy open while the shutdown continues, but controllers and airline unions warn that human‑resource strains could again force operational limits and delays if the impasse endures.
Government
Transportation
🔍 Key Facts
- On Jan. 25, 2019, controller shortages prompted the FAA to limit traffic at LaGuardia, Newark and other airports; those disruptions coincided with a temporary funding measure that ended the 35‑day 2019 shutdown.
- About 14,000 air traffic controllers are currently required to work through the Oct. 2025 shutdown and will not receive pay until funding is restored.
- The Department of Transportation announced it will keep the FAA air‑traffic controller training academy open during the current shutdown to support hiring goals, per the NPR report.