The federal government shutdown is being blamed for flight delays at major airports in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Orlando and Atlanta,due to staffing shortages at critical air traffic control centers.
Flights at LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International and Philadelphia International airports were delayed Friday morning by less than an hour, on average, according to the FAA. Orlando International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport saw similar lags, the agency reported.
Staffing issues at air traffic control centers around Washington and Jacksonville, Florida, causeddelays across the Northeast, an official with knowledge of the situation told CNN.
The delays are directly attributable to the partial government shutdown, said Trish Gilbert, executive vice president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
“You can’t mess with a system that is so integral to the United States,” she told CNN Friday. “This is reckless, what has been going on with the shutdown.”
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation, his spokeswoman said.