Shutdown chaos: US air travel could ‘slow to a trickle’, says transport secretary; warns of massive holiday disruption

Air travel across the United States could soon “slow to a trickle”, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Sunday, as the prolonged government shutdown continues to paralyse operations and disrupt flight schedules nationwide, AFP reported.

Thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed through the weekend as the Trump administration ordered capacity cuts at 40 airports to ease pressure on air traffic controllers, many of whom have been working without pay since federal funding lapsed on October 1.


“Air travel is going to slow to a trickle as everyone wants to travel to see their families,” Duffy told Fox News Sunday, cautioning that the impact will worsen as the Thanksgiving holiday season approaches.

The shutdown — now stretching into its sixth week — has forced federal agencies to a near standstill, with many government employees, including airport security and traffic control staff, either furloughed or working unpaid while the political standoff between Republicans and Democrats drags on.

“We’re going to see very few air traffic controllers coming to work, which means only a handful of flights will take off and land,” Duffy said. “You’re going to have massive disruption and a lot of angry Americans.”

Appearing later on CNN’s “State of the Union”, Duffy warned that the situation could deteriorate further if the budget impasse is not resolved soon.

“It’s only going to get worse,” he said. “Many people are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights if this thing doesn’t open back up.”

The continued shutdown has raised concerns among airlines and unions about passenger safety, scheduling bottlenecks, and economic losses, with analysts estimating billions of dollars in lost productivity across the aviation and tourism sectors.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it is prioritising essential services, but widespread absenteeism among staff has already led to longer wait times, route delays, and reduced capacity.