The Hollywood Burbank Airport in California went without air traffic controllers for hours on Monday night amid the government shutdown.
A staffing shortage meant there were no controllers on duty between 4:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time, and their arrival and departure duties were reportedly handed off to Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities (TRACON), based in San Diego, according to FOX11 Los Angeles.
The staffing issue prompted several flight cancellations. At 5 p.m., the average flight delay at Hollywood Burbank Airport was two hours and 30 minutes, the station added, citing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Thanks, @realDonaldTrump! Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X.
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“This guy’s unbelievable,” Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday in reaction to Newsom’s post. “The bottom line is, every Republican has voted to keep the government open. Actually, in the Senate, it was a bipartisan vote. It was Democrats who voted to shut down the government. And Gavin Newsom wants to blame Donald Trump.”
The airport did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from FOX Business.
Duffy said at a press conference Monday in New Jersey that, “In a job that’s already stressful, this shutdown has put way more stress on our controllers.”
“So we’re tracking sick calls, sick leave, and we had a slight tick up in sick calls, yes. And then you’ll see delays that come from that,” Duffy said.
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“Because again, our priority… I want to see your flight not be delayed. I don’t want you… I don’t want you canceled. But our priorities are safety. And so, if we have additional sick calls, we will reduce the flow consistent with a rate that’s safe for the American people,” Duffy continued.
“The controllers have to show up for work, right? They have to come to work. They’re part of our critical infrastructure. The problem is they’re going to show up for work, and they’re not going to get paychecks,” Duffy also said, describing the effects of the ongoing government shutdown.
Nick Daniels, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, is pushing for an end to the government shutdown.
“I’m here to advocate for the end to the shutdown. We need to bring this shutdown to a close so that the Federal Aviation Administration and the committed aviation safety professionals can put this distraction in focus, put this distraction behind us, and completely focus on their vital work,” he said alongside Duffy.
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