America’s skies are grinding to a halt as the shutdown crisis deepens—thousands of flights cancelled, controllers unpaid, and travellers trapped in chaos while Washington plays politics with the nation’s wings.
Air travel across the United States continued to face major disruptions as the government shutdown entered its 40th day, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning that flights could soon be reduced to “a trickle.” By late Sunday afternoon, more than 2,900 flights were cancelled and 8,600 delayed, leaving travellers stranded in airports nationwide. Newark Liberty International Airport reported the longest delays, averaging over two hours. The shutdown has forced the Federal Aviation Administration to cut air traffic capacity by up to six percent this weekend and ten percent next weekend at forty of the country’s busiest airports. As the crisis deepens, air traffic controllers, who have gone unpaid since 1 October, are increasingly refusing to work due to exhaustion, raising safety concerns and further straining the system.
Secretary Duffy said that if the political deadlock continues, Thanksgiving travel could be heavily disrupted, warning that many passengers “will not be able to get on an airplane” if the government remains closed. He also revealed that an offer by the Defence Department to use military air traffic controllers was declined because they are not certified to manage civilian air operations. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of federal employees remain unpaid, and food assistance programmes for low-income families have been reduced to half their usual benefits. The prolonged shutdown has now become the longest in US history, with lawmakers still unable to agree on a spending resolution to reopen the government.
Both political parties continue to blame each other for the impasse. The White House accused Democrats of creating a “man-made catastrophe,” while Democratic leaders said Republicans were “playing games with people’s livelihoods.” As frustration mounts, Senate leaders are holding rare weekend sessions in an attempt to reach a compromise. A vote to advance a new funding package could take place soon, offering a potential path to ending the crisis.
