Shutdown strains U.S. aviation as controller shortages drive delays

A radio transmission from an air traffic control tower near Los Angeles warned pilots less than a week into the federal government shutdown that the facility was closing because of staffing shortages, leaving Hollywood Burbank Airport without tower guidance for almost six hours on Oct. 6 and contributing to average flight delays of about two and a half hours, officials said. The disruption is among the earliest signs that the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is already straining the U.S. aviation system.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported controller shortages and staffing disruptions at facilities across the country, including airports in Boston and Philadelphia and control centers in Atlanta and Houston. Airlines reported delays spreading to airports in Nashville, Dallas and Newark. The union representing Transportation Security Administration employees said unscheduled absences among security screeners have increased; the union said the absences had not yet caused widespread operational breakdowns but warned that longer lines at checkpoints could follow after workers received their last paychecks.

Aviation experts and union leaders cautioned that the current shutdown is...