Sean Duffy, US Secretary of Transportation, alongside US President Donald Trump. Photo: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said yesterday (Tuesday, November 4) during a press conference that he may be forced to order the closure of part of American airspace if the federal government shutdown continues for another week, due to the severe and growing shortage of air traffic controllers.
The warning comes against the backdrop of chaos that is already clearly evident at US airports, with hours-long lines at security checkpoints, hundreds of flights being delayed or canceled every day, and an unusual warning from the American Travel Association about a possible collapse in air traffic ahead of Thanksgiving.
Newark Airport. Photo: Shutterstock
“If the Democrats lead us through another week like this, you will see mass chaos, flight delays and cancellations, and you may see us closing parts of the airspace, because we simply cannot manage it,” Duffy said at a press conference.
The Secretary further argued that the acute shortage of air traffic controllers could lead to severe transportation chaos, disrupt flight schedules and even lead to the closure of parts of the airspace.
He explained that air traffic controllers are struggling to survive financially without pay: “Many of them can survive one slip that doesn’t come in, but not two.” If an agreement is not reached within a week, he said, the government shutdown will become a safety risk, in which case he will not hesitate to impose restrictions on the airspace.
Duffy made it clear that such a step would only be taken when a real danger to safety arises: "We will only restrict airspace when we feel it is unsafe." The last time the United States airspace was completely closed was after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The market reacted quickly to the Transportation Secretary's remarks, with Wall Street's leading airline stocks posting sharp declines, led by United Airlines, which lost 5.56%. American Airlines shares fell 5.17% and Delta Air Lines fell 4.87%.
Duffy concluded by calling for an end to the strike: "I don't even know what the Democrats want to end the shutdown, do they want negotiations? I don't even know what they want. The Democrats are holding the American people hostage. End the shutdown now!"
Delta and United Airlines. Photo: Shutterstock