An aircraft passing the control tower. AP Yonhap News. 

As the federal government shutdown, led by the U.S. Democratic Party, drags on, thousands of flight cancellations and delays due to a shortage of air traffic controllers are becoming a reality. 

According to Reuters on the 8th (local time), the day after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered flight operations reductions, canceled flights reached 1,460 and delayed flights reached 6,000, Yonhap News reported.

On the first day, the 7th, 1,025 flights were canceled and over 7,000 were delayed.

At Atlanta Airport, which is typically heavily congested, flight operations were delayed by an average of 282 minutes.

Reuters reported that the FAA announced it would gradually reduce flight operations by up to 10% at 40 major airports due to concerns for safety, as the prolonged shutdown leads to a shortage of air traffic controller personnel and increased fatigue among remaining staff.

Major U.S. hub airports including New York, Chicago, and Atlanta are included in the reduction targets, and major airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines are affected.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that if more controllers do not report to work, flights may need to be reduced by up to 20%.

FAA Administrator Brian Bedford previously stated that 20-40% of air traffic controllers did not report to work at the beginning of last week.

The federal government shutdown reached its 39th day on the 8th.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated on the same day that negotiations between the two parties to end the shutdown had reached a positive turning point, but no agreement has been announced.

The Senate plans to convene unusually on Sunday, the 9th, to resume negotiations.

Editorial Department