Burbank airport tower unmanned amid staffing shortage, causing delays

Hollywood Burbank Airport's air traffic control tower went unmanned Monday evening, forcing contingency measures and producing flight delays as staffing shortfalls left the facility without qualified controllers from about 4:15 p.m. until as late as 10 p.m., federal officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the shortage stemmed from increased sick calls and scheduling gaps and that Southern California TRACON would handle the airport's approach and departure duties while the tower was without staff.

The FAA said it had slowed traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations. "When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations," the agency said. A FAA spokesperson said departures at Burbank were delayed an average of two hours and 31 minutes as of 5 p.m., with the longest reported delay nearly four hours. The agency warned travelers that delays of 30 to 45 minutes were possible across the system as staffing triggers are used to reduce traffic flows for safety.

Air traffic controllers at the airport said the immediate shortage was caused by sick calls, last-minute dayoff requests and other staffing issues and that the airport...