It’s not just France that has problems. Paralysis at airports across the country

Air passengers in the United States face a difficult situation. The Federal Aviation Administration warns of paralysis caused by a lack of enough air controllers. Serious problems occurred in the evening, among others, at the airport in Chicago. “So many controllers stayed home in Nashville that the facility – which directs planes in and out of the airport – was closed,” CNN reports. Transport difficulties are the result of the shutdown, i.e. the suspension of the federal government by Donald Trump.

Flight paralysis in the United States

American media report serious problems at at least ten US airports. Due to staffing problems at air traffic control towers, plane takeoffs in Nashville, Boston and Dallas were suspended on Tuesday. Delays and cancellations also affected passengers in Chicago and Philadelphia. Insufficient staffing is partially hampering operations in Atlanta, Houston, Denver, Burbank, California, and Newark, New Jersey.

At a small airport, even the absence of a few controllers can have a huge impact. In such a situation, pilots may not receive permission to land.

The situation may get worse

As the AP News news agency points out, each day of the shutdown announced by Trump increases the risk of broader impacts on the American aviation system. “Federal employees whose jobs are deemed critical continue to work without pay. The longer the shutdown lasts, the more likely it is to impact travel plans in November as well,” it says.

Aviation workers’ unions and American airlines have called for an immediate end to the shutdown, which is caused by Congress’ failure to adopt a new budget. The last time such a situation occurred was also during the Trump administration in 2018, when the government shutdown lasted 35 days.