Hundreds of air traffic controllers take second jobs as US shutdown continues By Doyinsola Oladipo and David ShepardsonOctober 29, 2025 at 2:30 AM 0 FILE PHOTO: Air traffic controllers resume operations a day after Hollywood Burbank Airport operated for hours without a staffed control tower due to s...
- - Hundreds of air traffic controllers take second jobs as US shutdown continues
By Doyinsola Oladipo and David ShepardsonOctober 29, 2025 at 2:30 AM
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FILE PHOTO: Air traffic controllers resume operations a day after Hollywood Burbank Airport operated for hours without a staffed control tower due to staffing shortages amid the U.S. government shutdown, in Burbank, California, U.S., October 7, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo
By Doyinsola Oladipo and David Shepardson
NEW YORK/ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) -Hundreds of U.S. air traffic controllers have taken up temporary second jobs as a prolonged government shutdown meant they missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday, mounting pressure on a strained aviation safety system, a union official said.
Roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work without pay after a budget impasse between Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats triggered the shutdown, now on its 28th day.
The number of controllers working second jobs is set to rise as they look for ways to pay their bills, National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels told reporters at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
"It's quickly going to be 1,000," Daniels said, urging the government to end the standoff. He said the lack of pay was a dangerous distraction.
"Every day that this shutdown drags on, the system becomes less safe," Daniels added.
Staffing shortages during the government shutdown have repeatedly disrupted the aviation industry, with nearly 7,000 flights delayed on Monday and 8,800 on Sunday. As of 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, 2,100 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said air traffic controller absences were continuing to snarl flights. He added that 44% of delays on Sunday and 24% on Monday were caused by air traffic controller absences, compared to 5% on average before the shutdown.
Even before the shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration was about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, with many already working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks.
Duffy was speaking at a press conference at New York's LaGuardia Airport, flanked by air traffic controllers and the president of their union, the latest in a series of appearances at airports aimed at prodding Democrats to give up opposition to the Republican-proposed government funding bills.
He said it remained safe to fly, and the FAA would slow flights if controllers were not at work at certain towers.
"Our number one priority is safety," Duffy said.
The department had not been able to find funding to pay controllers, Duffy said, urging Democrats to vote to open the government. Democrats say Republicans refuse to negotiate and are responsible for the continued shutdown.
"Don't hold our skies hostage," Duffy said. "There is not a lot of leeway we have to get people paid."
Duffy said controllers are getting jobs delivering food or driving for Uber to make ends meet or seeking emergency food assistance.
Republican Senator Susan Collins said she was very concerned about air traffic controllers after two recent flights that were diverted on final approach to Washington.
"I can't help but think that reflects the strain on air traffic controllers as they're working excessive hours and trying to cope with a reduced workforce," Collins said.
Southwest Airlines had 34% of its flights delayed on Monday, while American Airlines had 29%, according to FlightAware. United Airlines had 19% of its flights delayed and Delta Air Lines had 22%.
The delays and hundreds of flight cancellations in recent days have frustrated the public and intensified scrutiny of the shutdown's impact, raising pressure on lawmakers to resolve it.
In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by air traffic 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 and the flight disruptions were credited with prompting the government to end the shutdown.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Bill Berkrot and Nia Williams)
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