Overview

• The Transportation Department said 11,322 FAA employees are being furloughed while 13,294 air traffic controllers continue operating without pay under the agency’s lapse plan.
• Essential aviation functions remain in place, including on-call accident investigations, commercial space launch oversight, the aircraft and airman registry, and emergency communications.
• Non-essential work pauses include aviation rulemaking, routine background checks, some drug testing for non-safety staff, and facility upgrades not funded by the infrastructure law.
• The FAA’s controller training and field instruction are set to halt, a move experts say could worsen existing staffing shortfalls at already stretched facilities.
• Airlines and travel groups expect longer security lines and potential delays as TSA, CBP and FAA staffing tightens, citing 2019 shutdown disruptions and estimating travel losses of about $1 billion per week.