The Federal Aviation Administration warned of staffing shortages Tuesday evening at its regional air traffic control facility in Nashua.The staffing shortages are from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. News of the shortages came in an afternoon operations plan. The Nashua facility, also known as “Boston Center,” manages airspace across much of the Northeast, including New York and Pennsylvania.It plays a crucial role in coordinating flight paths and communicating with pilots already in the air within a certain radius.It is unclear whether staffing shortages are a direct result of the government shutdown that began last week, but more FAA facilities are dealing with filling shifts since the shutdown started.Officials at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport told News 9 they have not seen any operational impacts so far. Aviation expert Tom Kinton said regional airports may not be experiencing delays now, but that could change depending on how severe the staffing shortages become.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play << “Anything 35,000 feet at that level is being handled by Boston Center,” Kinton said. “So, if they can’t handle you, you’re going to be held on the ground at that departing airport, either in the aircraft or in the gate area, until they’re sure they can handle the traffic, and then you’ll be allowed to depart.”Kinton warned that the situation could worsen, especially as the holiday travel season approaches.”You have a system of air traffic controllers that’s already experiencing a shortage even before this happened,” he said. “So when one or two people call in sick, that has a bigger impact than it would have if they were fully staffed under normal conditions.”Federal officials said that if the shortages continue, air traffic may need to be limited to make sure passengers are safe.”If we have additional sick calls, we will reduce the flow consistent with a rate that’s safe for the American people,” said Sean Duffy with the Department of Transportation.>> Subscribe to WMUR’s YouTube channel <<
NASHUA, N.H. —
The Federal Aviation Administration warned of staffing shortages Tuesday evening at its regional air traffic control facility in Nashua.
The staffing shortages are from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. News of the shortages came in an afternoon operations plan.
The Nashua facility, also known as “Boston Center,” manages airspace across much of the Northeast, including New York and Pennsylvania.
It plays a crucial role in coordinating flight paths and communicating with pilots already in the air within a certain radius.
It is unclear whether staffing shortages are a direct result of the government shutdown that began last week, but more FAA facilities are dealing with filling shifts since the shutdown started.
Officials at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport told News 9 they have not seen any operational impacts so far.
Aviation expert Tom Kinton said regional airports may not be experiencing delays now, but that could change depending on how severe the staffing shortages become.
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<
“Anything 35,000 feet at that level is being handled by Boston Center,” Kinton said. “So, if they can’t handle you, you’re going to be held on the ground at that departing airport, either in the aircraft or in the gate area, until they’re sure they can handle the traffic, and then you’ll be allowed to depart.”
Kinton warned that the situation could worsen, especially as the holiday travel season approaches.
“You have a system of air traffic controllers that’s already experiencing a shortage even before this happened,” he said. “So when one or two people call in sick, that has a bigger impact than it would have if they were fully staffed under normal conditions.”
Federal officials said that if the shortages continue, air traffic may need to be limited to make sure passengers are safe.
“If we have additional sick calls, we will reduce the flow consistent with a rate that’s safe for the American people,” said Sean Duffy with the Department of Transportation.