Air Traffic Controllers Skipping Work Amid Shutdown Will Be Fired: Transportation Chief

More than 50 percent of flight delays can now be attributed to controller staffing shortages, he said.
Air Traffic Controllers Skipping Work Amid Shutdown Will Be Fired: Transportation Chief
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy testifies before a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 14, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
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Air traffic controllers who are not dedicated enough to come to work regularly during the government shutdown will be terminated from their jobs, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during an Oct. 9 interview with Fox Business.

“We need more controllers, but we need the best and the brightest, the dedicated controllers. And if we have some on our staff that aren’t dedicated like we need, we’re going to let them go. I can’t have people not showing up for work,” Duffy said, referring to such controllers as “problem children.”

Naveen Athrappully
Naveen Athrappully
Reporter
Naveen Athrappully is a news reporter covering business and world events at The Epoch Times.