The Federal Aviation Administration is delaying flights into the major airports in Newark, Denver and Burbank due to air traffic controller staffing shortages, only hours after the transportation secretary warned that the number of controllers calling out sick was ticking up.
Controllers are considered essential workers, so they must work during the government shutdown, but are not currently being paid.
As of 6:30 p.m. ET, flights into Newark Liberty International Airport are being delayed nearly an hour due to low controller staffing at the approach control facility that was plagued by repeat systems outages and controller staffing shortages in April and May.
Flights into Denver International Airport are being delayed an average of 39 minutes.
Both airports are major hubs for United Airlines, though the airline did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Also Monday night, flights headed to Hollywood Burbank Airport were delayed about two-and-a-half hours, according to the FAA.
The control tower at Hollywood Burbank Airport closed at 7:15 p.m. ET, due to staffing shortages, an alert from the agency said.
During a news conference at Newark’s airport Monday afternoon, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he did not want to see canceled flights, but the priority is safety in the U.S. airspace system.
“If we have additional sick calls, we will reduce the flow consistent with a rate that’s safe for the American people,” Duffy said.
This post has been updated with additional reporting.
