Planes flying into O’Hare Airport saw average delays of 40 minutes Tuesday as the airport grapples with the federal government shutdown, which stretched into its second week.
The delays apply to all flights into O’Hare from the contiguous U.S. and were expected to last from 6 p.m. to 10:59 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Airports are often affected by government shutdowns as federal employees are furloughed or working without pay. Several airports across the country are operating with delays or closing for hours at a time, according to the FAA.
Logan International Airport in Boston is scheduled to close for about an hour, and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas is set to close for a few hours, the FAA said.
Addressing reporters Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy discussed the impact of the government shutdown on transportation workers, specifically air traffic controllers.
“They’re not just thinking now about the airspace and the job they have to do in these towers. … They’re thinking about, ‘Am I gonna get a paycheck?’ Duffy said. “So now what they’re thinking about as they’re controlling our airspace is, ‘How am I gonna pay my mortgage? How am I gonna make my car payment?’”
Duffy said the airspace isn’t unsafe while air traffic controllers are stressed, but if the department believes the safety of air travel is compromised, the airspace will shut down. The department has seen a slight increase in sick calls since the government shut down started last week, and Duffy said the flow of flights will be altered to match the staffing capacity.
The Chicago Department of Aviation, which operates O’Hare and Midway airports, referred the Chicago Sun-Times to the FAA, which didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The Trump administration said Tuesday there would be no guaranteed back pay for federal workers during the government shutdown, reversing what has been long-standing policy for some 750,000 furloughed employees, according to a memo being circulated by the White House.
The move was widely seen as a strong-arm tactic to pressure lawmakers to reopen government, as party leaders remain seemingly at an impasse.
