DENVER — Staffing shortages at Denver International Airport’s traffic control tower are likely to lead to delays for thousands of travelers Tuesday evening.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an advisory earlier in the day announcing that DIA would activate "staffing triggers" at the airport’s air traffic control tower starting at around 6 p.m. through 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Those triggers go into effect when the control tower has insufficient staff to safely manage the volume of flights coming in and going out of any given airport, which forces the FAA to either delay or completely stop air traffic temporarily.
The staffing shortages at DIA’s air traffic control tower are the latest example of real-life impacts being felt across the nation due to the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 35th day.
"Our flight takes off at 6:25 [p.m.], so I got here a little early," said David Kearns, a traveler heading to Salt Lake City from Denver International Airport Tuesday night.
While Kearns wasn't too worried about reaching his destination, he expressed concern about the broader implications as the holiday season approaches.
"With Denver being such a big hub and everything coming in and out, I think there could be some serious problems around the country," said Kearns.
By 6 p.m. Tuesday, FlightAware reported roughly 130 delays and three cancellations at DIA.
Earlier Tuesday, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted there could be chaos in the skies by next week if the shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers miss a second paycheck.
Scripps News Life
Transportation Secretary warns of 'mass chaos' in skies if shutdown continues
Last weekend saw some of the worst staff shortages, and on Sunday, flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were delayed for several hours.
Most of the flight disruptions so far during the shutdown have been isolated and temporary. But if delays become more widespread and start to ripple throughout the system, the pressure will mount on Congress to reach an agreement to end the shutdown.
Major airlines, aviation unions and the travel industry have been urging Congress to end this shutdown as soon as possible by voting to support the clean funding resolution that Republicans have proposed.
The U.S. Travel Association said in a letter to Congressional leaders this week that the economy has already lost more than $4 billion because of the shutdown, and the industry worries the impact will get significantly worse if the shutdown continues into the holiday travel season.
Local aviation expert Steve Cowell echoed those worries, saying staffing shortages will likely result in ground stops and delays.
"If the shutdown continues past Thanksgiving, all bets are off," Cowell said. "Everybody's going to be angry. Everybody's going to be delayed. It's going to be a really, really troubling period of time."
Cowell emphasized that safety remains the top priority, meaning the FAA has no choice but to implement delays and cancellations when staffing levels become insufficient.
"Travelers better put the nickel in to gain some more patience, because this is really going to test the travelers," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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