Washington —
The impact of the federal government shutdown on the air traffic control system in the United States could linger on well beyond the reopening of the government.
From safety redundancies and modernization efforts to training future controllers and keeping the best staff, much of the work of the Federal Aviation Administration could see long term harms from the shutdown, experts say.
“There’s no question that the shutdown will only set us backwards,” said Erik Hansen, senior vice president and head of government relations for the US Travel Association. “The real risk is that it will do irreparable harm to our efforts to hire more air traffic controllers and to modernize air traffic control.”
When the current staff of 14,000 air traffic controllers looked at their bank accounts on payday this week, there was nothing deposited.
Controllers are required to show up for their job during the government shutdown but are not being paid.
Continue Reading on CNN
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.