Staffing issues are causing delays for incoming flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, according to an alert from the Federal Aviation Administration Monday.
The alert was issued around 1:30 p.m., stating that flights arriving at DFW are delayed by an average of 18 minutes — but could experience delays over an hour long. According to the alert, those flight disruptions are expected to last until 10 p.m.
Zachary Greiner, a spokesperson for DFW Airport, said in an email to KERA News that the FAA "implements air traffic management programs based on its capacity for safe operations," and referenced the FAA website for more information on current advisories.
Greiner also referred KERA News to the FAA for details about staffing. After reaching out, an automatic response was received saying, "Due to a lapse in funding, the FAA is not responding to routine media inquiries," and included a statement on air traffic controller staffing.
"As [Transportation] Secretary [Sean] Duffy has said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system," the statement read. "When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations."
Aviation tracking website FlightAware shows more than 370 flights from DFW Airport have been delayed as of 5 p.m. Monday.
Disruptions like these are happening at airports across the country as a government shutdown stretches into its 27th day. On the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA saw 22 "triggers" on Saturday indicating a shortage of air traffic controllers.
"That's a sign that the controllers are wearing thin," Duffy said.
He also noted that he expects more flight delays and cancellations as the week progresses, if the government shutdown continues and controllers miss their first paycheck on Tuesday.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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