Shutdown strains aviation as air traffic controllers pay gaps widen

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Tuesday that the partial federal government shutdown is increasing stress on the aviation system and could produce wider flight delays and a gap in the pipeline of new air traffic controllers, speaking at a press event at LaGuardia Airport as the shutdown entered its fourth week. Duffy said air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck Tuesday and that Federal Aviation Administration training funds for student stipends will run out within weeks, prompting some trainees to withdraw.

Duffy and union leaders said the shutdown has forced roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers to work without pay. The shortage of controllers predates the shutdown, and officials offered differing estimates of the gap: Duffy put the shortfall at about 2,000 to 3,000 controllers, the FAA has previously said the agency was roughly 3,500 short of targets, and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said the system was short about 3,800 certified professionals. Duffy warned that lost stipends and missed paychecks risk eroding recruitment and retention at a moment the FAA is...