TEXAS — The United States government has been shut down for over a month, causing major delays at major airports in the Lone Star State. At the Austin Bergstrom International Airport, there have been a handful of ground delays since Oct. 1. But airports across the state are bracing for more disruptions as a reduction in flights began on Friday.
“I think it’s really stressful for people, especially people who are worse off than us, worse off than me needing food, needing services and things like that,” said Colleen Olphert, a traveler at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Wednesday that it plans to phase in a 10% reduction in air traffic across 40 “high-volume” markets, with some of those reductions starting Friday. Leaders with the FAA said the reason behind the move is to maintain safety during the ongoing government shutdown.
“You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations. And you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it, because we don’t have the air traffic controllers,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Airports in Dallas and Houston were some of the 40 that will see a reduction in flights.
Spectrum News reached out to the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. A spokesperson said in a statement Thursday, “The FAA has not yet identified which markets will be affected. We are closely monitoring the situation and will evaluate any potential impact once additional details are released.”
However, airports in other parts of the state noted that there is a possibility that travelers at other airports may also be affected, according to a statement from San Antonio International Airport.
The spokesperson said there have been no operational affects because of the government shutdown and said that security checkpoints continue to perform extremely well.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection and air traffic control employees are continuing to perform their essential work, despite not being paid.
A spokesperson added that the San Antonio airport and its partners, such as the San Antonio Food Bank, are working hard to support federal employees.
It’s still unclear when air traffic will go back to normal and how long the reduction of flights will last.