US Airports Hit With Hours-Long Delays Due to ‘Staffing Issues’ Amid Government Shutdown

Airports across the United States are experiencing delayed flights.

A control tower is seen at LAX airport in Los Angeles on July 1, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Airports across the nation experienced hours-long delays on Oct. 26 due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) issued a ground stop that lasted nearly two hours for flights departing to and from the Bay Area.

“This was due to a staffing issue at Oakland,” the airport confirmed on Sunday afternoon. “The ground stop lasted from 8:45 to 10:30 this morning. Operations are running as usual at LAX.”

The temporary ground stop for flights connecting to the San Francisco area happened days after LAX closed Terminal 5 for construction, which caused JetBlue, Spirit, and American Airlines to shift to other airport terminals.

Chicago O'Hare International delayed departures by 50 minutes on Sunday afternoon due to staffing shortages, according to an FAA update made just before 5:30 p.m. ET.

New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport experienced a ground delay of over two hours, also due to staffing issues.

Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers also experienced takeoff and arrival disruptions on Sunday.

The Epoch Times reached out to the FAA for comment and received an automated statement regarding air traffic controller staffing issues.

“As Secretary Duffy has said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system,” the statement reads. “When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations.”

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressed sympathy for employees who are furloughed but still showing up to work due to the shutdown.

“On Tuesday, 13,000 air traffic controllers will get a $0 paycheck because Democrats are holding the government hostage,” Secretary Duffy wrote in an X post on Oct. 26.

“I don’t want our controllers going to a FOOD BANK! The fact that they are having to think about how to put food on the table is UNACCEPTABLE.”

Essential federal workers, like air traffic control operators, are being directed to work without pay during the shutdown, which is now the second-longest in U.S. history.

A Republican-backed stopgap funding measure was blocked by the Senate on Oct. 22, as it failed to receive the 60 votes needed to advance. It was the 12th time a Senate vote on the plan failed.

Republicans blamed the Democrats for the lapse in federal funding, claiming they are hindering efforts to pass a “clean” resolution with no policy additions.

But Democrats claimed they will not reopen the government until Republicans consider their health care proposals, which address topics such as the Affordable Care Act tax subsidies that are set to expire on Dec. 31.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.