San Diego International Airport was back to normal flight operations on Friday after a shortage of air traffic controllers caused heavy delays the previous night.
The Federal Aviation Administration was required to slow flight traffic on Thursday night because of a lack of staff in the air traffic control tower. Nearly 200 flight departures and arrivals were delayed.
FAA and airport officials confirmed Friday that normal flight operations had resumed, but travelers should still expect longer security lines. Agents with the Transportation Security Administration have not been paid for 42 days and many employees, in San Diego and across the nation, are not coming to work. Staff shortages in the traffic control tower were not related to funding struggles, airport officials said.
President Trump on Friday signed an executive emergency order to immediately pay TSA agents. Details were scarce on when checks would arrive, and a political battle in Congress over funding the Department of Homeland Security continued in earnest Friday.
San Diego TSA worker on what it’s like to live for weeks without a paycheck
Earlier this week, the president sent agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to many airports across the nation but none have been deployed at San Diego’s airport.
San Diego International Airport is encouraging travelers to arrive 2 1/2 hours before their flight’s departure time. In addition to security delays, the airport is especially busy because of spring break.
Lines tend to be longest during the morning hours of 5 to 7, with an uptick around noon to about 1 p.m., and again from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., San Diego airport officials said.
There were 59 delays at the airport early Friday, according to Flight Aware, and three cancellations. That was within normal delays at the airport, which can be caused by everything from weather issues in other locations to simple maintenance issues. Later in the day delays had ticked up to 89.