By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. airlines warned on Monday that a partial federal government shutdown could strain American aviation and slow flights, as air traffic controllers and security officers would be forced to work without pay and other functions would be halted.
Airline trade group Airlines for America, which represents United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others, warned that if funding lapses, “the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency” and impacting travelers.
The warning about air travel is the latest potential collateral damage from the political dispute in Washington over government funding.
“When federal employees who manage air traffic, inspect aircraft and secure our nation’s aviation system are furloughed or working without pay, the entire industry and millions of Americans feel the strain,” the group said.
In 2019 during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by controllers and TSA officers rose as workers missed paychecks, extending checkpoint wait times at some airports. The FAA was forced to slow air traffic in New York, which put pressure on lawmakers to quickly end the standoff.
The shutdown is expected to begin on Wednesday unless there is an agreement between the Democrats and Republicans on a government funding bill. Congressional Democratic leaders left a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday without reaching a deal.
In a separate letter from airline groups, aviation unions, manufacturers, airports and other aviation groups, the signers warned shutdowns force the FAA to “suspend air traffic controller and technician hiring and training, delay the implementation of safety initiatives, postpone maintenance and repair work to critical air traffic equipment, suspend air carrier pilot check rides, delay airworthy inspections for aircraft, defer the analysis of voluntary safety reporting, and suspend work on modernization programs.”
Separately, hundreds of air traffic control trainees at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City could also be furloughed “causing significant delays in the training pipeline and worsen the ongoing air traffic controller staffing crisis,” the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said.
The FAA is about 3,800 controllers short of targeted staffing levels.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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