Flight delays likely 'only going to get worse,' Transportation head says

David Wickert, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Nov 2, 2025

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The nation’s top transportation official on Sunday said a shortage of air traffic controllers likely will mean more worsening flight delays amid the government shutdown.

Speaking on two television network news shows, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said safety remains the government’s top concern as the nation’s airports — including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — experienced periodic delays.

Duffy acknowledged the shortage of controllers has led to flight delays. He said federal authorities would stop air traffic completely if it’s necessary to keep the flying public safe.

“Well, does it become a flight emergency, a safety issue? No, we will stop traffic,” Duffey said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“So, we’re not going to let that happen. I think the real consequence is, what kind of rolling delays do you have throughout the system, right?” Duffy said. “We’ve seen problems at L.A., in Dallas, in D.C., Boston, Atlanta. And, so, I think it’s only going to get worse.”

Duffy reiterated that message on ABC’s “This Week.”

“We will delay, we will cancel any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe,” he said.

“But there is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that’s doing two jobs instead of one,” Duffy said. “We manage that. We look out for it. And safety is the priority.”

As the federal government shutdown enters its second month, air traffic controllers and other aviation employees are working without pay and, in some cases, taking side jobs to make ends meet.

With aviation employees under financial strain, staffing shortages have led to long security lines and some flight delays. According to flightaware.com, there were 192 delayed flights and seven canceled flights at Hartsfield-Jackson on Sunday as of midafternoon.

The federal government is shut down amid a showdown between Democrats and Republicans over health care funding.

Delta Air Lines last week urged Congress to set aside the health care debate and pass a “clean” budget resolution to reopen the government. But there is no indication the shutdown will end anytime soon.