Transportation chief Sean Duffy threatened to ground all U.S. flights amid the ongoing shutdown, warning "we'll shut the whole airspace down."
As the stalemate drags into the second month, it's adding more potential risk to the aviation system and putting a further strain on air traffic control staffing shortages, Duffy said in an interview Monday with CNBC.
“If we thought that it was unsafe, we’ll shut the whole airspace down,” Duffy said.
Air traffic controllers are working without pay and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration moved to slow air traffic last week across many airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Friday, "A surge in callouts is straining staffing levels at multiple facilities, leading to widespread impacts" to half of its core 30 facilities facing staffing shortages. The agency also reported nearly 80% of its air traffic controllers were absent at its New York-area facilities.
"After 31 days without pay, air traffic controllers are under immense stress and fatigue," according to the FAA. "The shutdown must end so that these controllers receive the pay they’ve earned and travelers can avoid further disruptions and delays."
The FAA plans to reduce flow of air traffic to maintain safety while staffing shortages happen and could delay or cancel flights as a result.
