How is the US Government Shutdown Affecting Aviation?

On October 1st the US federal government entered a shutdown as no funding bill had been passed by congress and the senate. This has led to government services being suspended and approximately 40% of federal workers being placed on unpaid leave [1]. The effects have already been far reaching, even being felt in the aviation industry.

Figure 1: Air traffic control watching over aircraft. [2]

Impact on Air Traffic Control

Federally employed air traffic controllers have been affected by the shutdown, considered essential workers, they are often required to work without pay until a funding bill is passed and their salaries can be paid again. This has left multiple airports with control centres that are either understaffed or closed due to a lack of controllers, across states including New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts among others [3]. Some airports have outsourced control to other centres who can assist, while others have been left without any control services.

This has led to delays of flights as they wait for direction, with data concluding over 3,000 flights affected [4]. This is especially impactful in busy airports and when traffic is at its highest, such as when many fly home for the holidays. Therefore, concerns are rising that if the shutdown continues into the thanksgiving holiday period when many Americans will be traveling, numerous plans and arrangements could be upset. 

An Interim Solution

Not all airports operate with a control tower to direct aircraft and ensure safety. For example, small airports and airfields, particularly private ones, used for general aviation purposes like flying clubs utilise open channels for communication and organising flight movements.

At these airfields pilots communicate on open channels, announcing their plans and listening for messages from other pilots whose flights which might come close to their own. Pilots resort to this when air traffic control services are not available. However, it increases a pilot’s workload and cannot provide the same level of safeguarding that dedicated personnel within a control centre can provide [5]. 

Air traffic controllers use a variety of equipment to monitor movements and direct operations, from high-tech radar readings to watching taxiways and runways through the windows. Radios are used to communicate instructions to pilots on the ground and in the air to ensure movements do not conflict and all planes can arrive and take-off safely and efficiently.

Pressure to Resolve the Shutdown

Therefore the safety of air traffic movements is compromised until all towers are back up and running, leading to increased pressure on lawmakers to pass a funding bill and resume salaries for federal workers, including air traffic controllers.

About Pager Power

Pager Power provides technical assessments of potential impacts upon air traffic control services from buildings, solar, and wind projects. Examples include glint and glare assessments impacting an air traffic controllers’ view from a tower, or radar assessments of interference on a controllers’ radar screen. 

For more information about what we do, please get in touch.

References

[1] Zurcher, A & FitzGerald, J. (2025) ‘Why the US government has shut down and what happens now’, BBC News, 29th September. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crrj1znp0pyo (Accessed 11 October 2025)

[2] Grey and Green Airport. Melanio Salmoe JR. Pech. May 2018. Last accessed on 13th October 2025. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-and-gray-airport-2555390/

[3] Helmore, E. (2025) ‘US airport staffing shortages expected to cause more delays amid shutdown’, The Guardian News, 8th October. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/08/government-shutdown-airports-delays (Accessed 11 October 2025)

[4] Sky News. (2025) ‘Major airports face delays due to staffing as US government shutdown continues’ Sky News, 8th October. Available at: https://news.sky.com/story/major-airports-face-delays-due-to-staffing-as-us-government-shutdown-continues-13446810 (Accessed 11 October 2025)

[5] Skores, A. Muntean, P. Cooper, A. (2025) ‘Delays spread to major airports across the country, as the government shutdown impacts travelers’ CNN News, 8th October. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/07/us/shutdown-impacts-travelers (Accessed 11 October 2025)