WASHINGTON: The ongoing US government shutdown, now completing one month, has sparked acute concerns in the aviation sector as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies struggle with depleted staff and unpaid essential workers.
At the White House on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance warned that the disruption could trigger an air-travel “meltdown” next month if the impasse persists, citing that controllers would be missing three or more paychecks. “It could be a disaster, it really could be, ” Vance said after meeting with aviation industry leaders. He expressed worry that delays may reach a point that “makes it very, very hard for the American people to fly.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, speaking at the same gathering, called on the Democrats not to “hold American families’ travel hostage.”