US airports shutdown: Staff shortage causes flight delays

Shortage of staff due to the ongoing partial government shutdown has resulted in flight delays at several prominent airports, including the busy La Guardia airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday. The aviation authority has advised public to monitor air traffic at its website and check with airlines for any detailed information. 

"We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two facilities. We are mitigating the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing space between aircraft when needed," FAA said in a statement, amidst reports of flight delays at the busy La Guardia airport in New York and also in Philadelphia, Atlanta and the Newark airports.

FAA advised public to monitor air traffic at its website fly.Faa.Gov and check with airlines for more information. 

A day earlier, FAA said that it is allocating resources based on risk assessment to meet all safety critical functions.

The US has been hit hard as the partial shutdown entered its 36th day.

Trump wants to build a US-Mexico border wall and is seeking a whopping USD 5.7 billion in funding for the physical barrier which according to him is a must to prevent flow of illegal immigrants into the US.

The Democrats assert that such a move is a "waste" of taxpayers money.

Several key wings of the federal government has been badly hit as some 800,000 federal employees have been temporarily thrown out of work.

Flight delay at major airports is the first major visible impact of the partial government shutdown, which on Friday entered its 36th day. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of putting safety of people at risk. "The Trump Shutdown has already pushed hundreds of thousands of Americans to the breaking point. Now it's pushing our airspace to the breaking point too," she said.

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In a tweet, she asked Trump to "stop endangering the safety, security and well-being" of the nation. "Re-open government now!" Pelosi said.