Major airports across the US issued ground stops or delays on Sunday amid a shortage of air traffic controllers.
According to Fox Business News, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey issued a ground delay on Sunday afternoon until 12:59 a.m. local time the next day, with flights delayed an average of about 82 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website.
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In Boston, a ground stop was issued at Logan International Airport until 4:30 pm local time due to a disabled aircraft on the runway.
Around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, flights at Los Angeles International Airport were reportedly affected due to a staffing shortage. That ground stop was later lifted, according to KTLA.
Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California, was also affected by that ground stop, KTLA reported.
San Francisco International Airport issued ground delays until 1:59 a.m. the next day, with an average delay of 44 minutes.
Several other airports experienced temporary flight delays on Sunday afternoon, typically between 15 and 30 minutes, including:
Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas; Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas; Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia; LaGuardia Airport in New York City; Dallas Love Field in Dallas; Denver International Airport in Denver; Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida; Orlando International Airport in Orlando; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, and Chicago O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
According to the FAA website, some of the reasons listed for delays include staffing, weather, compressed demand and traffic management initiatives.
The FAA did not immediately respond to Fox Business' request for comment. “Due to a funding lapse, the FAA is not responding to routine media inquiries,” an automated reply from the agency said.
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The response also noted staffing challenges throughout the system, stating, “As (Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy) has said, staffing shortages have increased throughout the system. When this happens, the FAA slows traffic at some airports to ensure safe operations.”
