The government shutdown has caused another major air traffic control tower to go dark with no one available to direct planes due to staffing shortages.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that Nashville International Airport will face a ground delay starting at 5pm ET.
Nashville’s air traffic approach control is expected to remain dark until after midnight due to the lack of air traffic controllers available.
According to the FAA’s website, the ground delay has already backed up flights by more than two hours at the airport.
Nashville International (BNA) revealed on Tuesday that the FAA told officials this reduction in manpower ‘will remain in effect until further notice.’
BNA officials added that all airlines have been informed of the slowdown and advised travelers to check the status of their flights with their airlines before arriving at the airport.
A dozen facilities saw staffing shortages on Monday, including Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claimed that many air traffic control workers were calling out sick.
‘If we see there’s issues in the tower that are affecting controllers’ ability to effectively control the airspace, we’ll reduce the rate, and you’ll see more delays or you might see a cancellation,’ Duffy said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that Nashville International Airport (pictured) will face a ground delay starting at 5pm ET
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (pictured) has also experienced staffing shortages and a ground delay has been issued for Tuesday night
Another major hub facing a travel nightmare because of the government shutdown is Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
The FAA has also announced a ground delay there starting at 7pm ET and lasting until midnight.
According to Axios, O’Hare has been experiencing shortages and expected to be understaffed in their air traffic control tower throughout most of the day on Tuesday.
O’Hare is one of the busiest airports in the US and the world, handling over 80 million passengers annually and thousands of flights daily.
Flight Aware’s ‘Misery Map’ helps flyers track the number of delayed flights at US airports, and which travel hubs have been particularly impacted by the federal shutdown.
So far, O’Hare has dealt with the most delays Tuesday afternoon, postponing over 60 flights since 2pm ET.
This is a developing story. More updates to come.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .