Air Traffic Controllers Union Warns Shutdown Is Making Air Travel Unsafe

As the government shutdown continues into its third week with no end in sight, union leaders are warning that the shutdown is putting airline passengers at risk. The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists Union warned that without federal funding "aviation safety inspectors at the FAA will not be providing oversight of commercial and general aviation aircraft, pilots, flight instructors, and domestic and foreign repair stations."

Many planes have not been inspected since the shutdown began, leaving passengers and airlines unaware of any potential issues and no way to easily verify if the repairs have been completed properly. 

The shutdown is also having a negative effect on the workers who are required to do their jobs, such as air traffic controllers and TSA agents, but will not receive a paycheck while the shutdown continues. 

"This staffing crisis is negatively affecting the National Airspace System, and the shutdown almost certainly will make a bad situation worse,” NATCA President Paul Rinaldi said in a statement. “And none of the controllers forced to work during this shutdown will see pay for their hard work to keep travelers safe until the shutdown ends."

Workers who have been impacted by the partial government shutdown protested outside of Miami International Airport on Thursday. 

“My job is the safety of people,” Charles Banks, who has worked as an FAA safety inspector for 15 years, told the Miami Herald “I have family flying too and I can’t protect them from here on the curb.”

The shutdown is also hampering FAA investigations into crashes and accidents. According to the Washington Post, the agency is only sending teams to investigate "major accidents involving significant casualties." 

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