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The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has been forced to issue a ground stop at Newark airport over staffing shortage caused by the government shutdown. The advisory issued at 3.32pm ET says that the ground delay program - which halts flights at their origin from taking off to Newark - will be in effect until at least 10.59pm. The maximum delay is 87 minutes and the average is 40 minutes, according to the FAA, with the cause listed as 'staffing.' The government shutdown means that 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers aren't being paid, and as a result there have been huge increases in sick days and absences. Almost 3,000 flights were beset by delays around the nation today, with more than 130 cancelations, as the impasse between Republicans and Democrats raged on. Newark is among the worst offenders. The nation's eighth busiest airport has suffered from staffing and technology challenges since well before the shutdown. ATC workers and TSA agents are considered essential and are therefore required to work despite not receiving their paychecks. But during shutdowns absenteeism increases, with many workers reporting issues such as affording gas and childcare. The problem is exacerbated by the length of the shutdown, which entered its 29th day on Wednesday, making it the second-longest in history and fast approaching the record which stands at 35. Flight delays soared to 8,600 on Sunday, with around 44 percent attributed to ATC staffing issues — compared to the usual 5 percent. Around 44 percent of flight delays which soared to 8,600 on Sunday were caused by ATC staffing issues, compared to the usual 5 percent earlier this year. Some 8,600 flights were delayed. The crisis continued on Monday as nearly 7,000 flights were delayed as air traffic controller absences surged. The FAA cited staffing shortages and imposed ground delay programs affecting Newark, Austin Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. Flights in the southeast were delayed earlier because of significant staffing shortages at the Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control. The Trump administration has warned flight disruptions will increase as controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday. The mounting delays and cancellations are fueling public frustration and intensifying scrutiny of the shutdown's impact, raising pressure on lawmakers to resolve it. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was in Cleveland meeting with controllers on Monday, while the National Air Traffic Controllers Association union plans events at numerous airports on Tuesday to highlight the first missed paycheck. The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown. In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by controllers and TSA officers rose as workers missed paychecks, extending wait times at some airport checkpoints. Authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington.
