How Government Shutdowns Ground Our Aviation System

As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, a familiar crisis is unfolding across America's skies. Air traffic controllers - who keep millions of passengers safe every day - are once again working without paychecks, and the cracks in the system are showing.

On Monday evening, pilots preparing to depart from Hollywood Burbank Airport in California 

heard silence from their control tower. Unstaffed due to controller absences, it had simply closed. For several hours, pilots were left to coordinate their own takeoffs and landings over a common radio frequency, announcing their positions to anyone listening.

"Southwest 1591, we're about to cross runway eight on alpha and then we'll take a left turn on 

Delta," a Boeing 737 pilot announced into the void, hoping other aircraft were paying attention.

It's a procedure that works fine for small regional airports. For a major commercial hub? It adds what one aviation expert called "a margin of danger."

Air traffic controllers have inadvertently become power players in Washington's political theater, and not for the first time. In fact, they may have single-handedly ended the last government shutdown.

The Ten Controllers Who Stopped a Shutdown

On January 25, 2019, just ten air traffic controllers - six in northern Virginia and four in Florida - called in sick during the 35-day government shutdown. That small action brought chaos to the nation's busiest airspace, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue a ground stop at LaGuardia Airport and causing cascading delays from Newark to Orlando.

That same day, President Trump agreed to a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the longest shutdown in US history.

Why did ten air traffic controllers matter so much? Because America's aviation system is already stretched dangerously thin. Air traffic control facilities are at a 30-year staffing low, short roughly 3,800 controllers nationwide. When someone calls in sick, there's simply no one to cover the shift.

Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the union representing American Airlines' 16,000 pilots, explained how quickly the system deteriorates under financial pressure. "You have the reality of human beings, many of whom are living paycheck to paycheck," he said. "It doesn't take long before the system slows down. The safety margin is always protected. But what happens is we meter the amount of aircraft that the system can hold.”

In other words: fewer controllers means fewer planes in the air, which means delays spreading across the country.

Working Without Pay, Flying Without Certainty

Right now, approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers are classified as essential employees, meaning they must continue working during the shutdown without receiving paychecks. They'll get back pay eventually, but "eventually" doesn't help when the mortgage is due.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the impossible position these workers face during a press conference at Newark Airport. "They're not just thinking about the airspace and the jobs they have to do. They're thinking about, 'Am I going to get a paycheck? How am I going to pay my mortgage? How do I make my car payment? Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I'm already exhausted?'"

Controllers  are  scheduled to receive their next paycheck today, October 14, but many will only receive partial pay. If the shutdown continues, they won't be paid at all on October 28.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has urged its members to keep showing up, warning that participating in coordinated sick-outs could result in termination and "severely weaken" the union's advocacy efforts. But even without organized action, sick calls have been on the rise..

By Tuesday evening last week, the system was buckling. Nashville's control tower operated with skeletal staffing, forcing Memphis controllers to handle approach traffic. Chicago's O'Hare faced nine hours without full tower staffing, causing average delays of 41 minutes. Similar problems hit Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Boston, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.

More than 3,500 flights were delayed across US airports on Tuesday night alone.

Pilots Caught in the Crossfire

For pilots, the situation creates a perfect storm of safety concerns. They're already dealing with congested airspace, aging equipment, and stretched-thin controllers working 10-hour shifts, six days a week. Now add financial stress and potential fatigue to controllers who might be doing additional work between shifts to pay bills.

For passengers, the advice is simple: expect delays, check flight status obsessively, and perhaps reconsider that tight connection.

For politicians in Washington, the message from 2019 should be ringing in their ears: when the skies start closing, deals get made quickly. The question is whether they'll wait for LaGuardia to shut down again, or whether this time they'll act before the system breaks completely.

If there’s one thing America’s aviation infrastructure has shown, it’s just how fragile it is. Even ten people calling in sick can ripple across the entire system, grounding flights and straining an already stretched workforce.