Airlines warn US government shutdown may slow flights

US airlines warned on Monday that a partial federal government shutdown could strain American aviation and slow flights, as air traffic controllers and security officers would be forced to work without pay and other functions would be halted.

Airline trade group Airlines for America, which represents United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others, warned that if funding lapses, “the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency” and impacting travelers.

The warning about air travel highlights the latest potential collateral damage from the political dispute in Washington over government funding.

“When federal employees who manage air traffic, inspect aircraft and secure our nation’s aviation system are furloughed or working without pay, the entire industry and millions of Americans feel the strain,” the group said.

Air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees who staff airport checkpoints are among the government workers who would be required to keep working but would not be paid.

In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by controllers and TSA officers rose as workers missed paychecks, extending checkpoint wait times at some airports. The Federal Aviation Administration was forced to slow air traffic in New York, which put pressure on lawmakers to quickly end the standoff.

The shutdown is expected to begin on Wednesday unless there is an agreement between the Democrats and Republicans on a government funding bill. Congressional Democratic leaders left a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday without reaching a deal.

In a separate letter, airline groups, aviation unions, manufacturers, airports and other aviation groups warned shutdowns force the FAA to “suspend air traffic controller and technician hiring and training, delay the implementation of safety initiatives, postpone maintenance and repair work to critical air traffic equipment, suspend air carrier pilot check rides, delay airworthy inspections for aircraft, defer the analysis of voluntary safety reporting, and suspend work on modernization programs.”

An extensive shutdown could delay the FAA’s certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 7 and slow the $12.5 billion overhaul of air traffic control.

The FAA said that under its shutdown plan released in March it would not be able to conduct air traffic controller hiring or field training of air traffic controllers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday he was concerned a shutdown could jeopardize air traffic training and the modernization effort.

Hundreds of air traffic control trainees at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City could also be furloughed “causing significant delays in the training pipeline and worsen the ongoing air traffic controller staffing crisis,” the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said, adding “a government shutdown of any length could cause significant setbacks.”

The FAA is about 3,800 controllers short of targeted staffing levels. A persistent shortage of controllers has delayed flights and many are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks.