ORLANDO, Fla. – Flights to Orlando International Airport (MCO) are being delayed hours on Thursday night due to FAA staffing issues, according to the FAA website.
The average flight delay appeared to be a little more than 2.5 hours, according to the FAA’s National Airspace System Status map. At one point, the maximum delay was listed at 714 minutes, a nearly 12-hour delay.
More than a dozen flights were delayed or canceled, according to Orlando International Airport’s flight status web page.
It comes amid the government shutdown, which has pitted Republicans and Democrats against each other. The shutdown began on Oct. 1, marking 29 days on Thursday.
FOX 35 has reached out to the FAA, MCO, and the airlines for more information.
Here are the latest updates:
FAA advisory: Impacts between 10 p.m. and 2:59 a.m.
8PM | The FAA’s National Airspace System Status said MCO was under a ground delay, expected to last between 10 a.m. and 2:59 a.m. The average flight delay was listed at 161 minutes (more than 2 hours).Â
The reason: Staffing.Â
More airports on ground delays
Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey both listed delays due to staffing, according to the FAA’s map.
The average delay at Teterboro Airport was listed at 346 minutes, or five hours. DCA reported potential flight delays as long as nearly 5 hours. However, an update said the alert had been canceled.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the FAA and Orlando International Airport websites.Â