In the U.S., more than 8,000 flights have faced delays due to issues within the air traffic management system, exacerbated by a prolonged shortage of air traffic controllers and the 26th day of the partial government shutdown. Reuters has reported this.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that on Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) encountered difficulties in staffing controllers at 22 locations, warning that further shortages would lead to additional delays and cancellations in the coming days.

According to FlightAware, on Monday, there were over 8,000 delays in the U.S., compared to approximately 5,300 on Saturday. Since the shutdown began on October 1, delays have frequently exceeded the average level.

On Sunday, Southwest Airlines delayed 45% of its flights—around 2,000. American Airlines reported nearly 1,200 delays, about a third of its flights. United Airlines experienced a 24% delay rate (739 flights), while Delta Air Lines faced 610 delays or 17%.

Approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 employees from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are working without pay as the shutdown continues.

The situation regarding delays and cancellations is being closely monitored as an indicator of how the government shutdown complicates the daily lives of Americans. This could further increase pressure on lawmakers to unblock the budget and end the shutdown.

Duffy noted that on Saturday, the FAA recorded 22 "triggers" for staffing shortages, marking one of the highest levels since October 1. "This indicates that controllers are on the brink of exhaustion," he added.

It is worth mentioning that flight attendants from Canadian airline Air Canada, who are union members, halted work in August after negotiations over pay with the country’s largest carrier reached an impasse.