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American flight controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay during the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," the official told a news outlet on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were instructed to keep doing their duties uncompensated.

But some have been absent, leading airports to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays due to climate and other issues.

More than 3,000 US flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy stated he anticipates the situation to grow worse.

"I am seeing the pressure," he remarked in an discussion on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had met with multiple professionals to hear their worries firsthand.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to secure another source of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

The secretary further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields indicated flights would be held up due to a lack of employees - one of the highest since the shutdown started.

The American federal closure reached its 26th day on the weekend, rendering it the second most extended shutdown in history.

Duffy has consistently cautioned that aviation regulators would slow down the number of planes in the sky if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was secure to travel by air in the US, and instead made a personal plea to controllers.

"I need my staff concentrating on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," Duffy stated.

On that day, certain flights were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth-busiest terminal in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as other flights extending upward to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 08:45 local time on Sunday. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, though, were postponed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the FAA indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the US, could experience problems from reduced staff in the afternoon.

The FAA warned travelers in California to consult carriers about updated departure times.

The issue precedes the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday evening, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the US.

Strain on American aviation helped end a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and disrupted airline operations, including pilot training.

It prompted several flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping movement at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.