The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has implemented a ground stop at Newark Airport due to staffing shortages linked to the ongoing government shutdown.

According to an advisory released at 3:32 PM ET, the ground delay program, which prevents flights from departing for Newark, will remain active until at least 10:59 PM.

The FAA reports that flight delays can reach a maximum of 87 minutes, with the average delay being around 40 minutes, all attributed to staffing issues.

As the shutdown continues, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers are working without pay, leading to a significant rise in sick leaves and absences.

Today, nearly 3,000 flights faced delays nationwide, with over 130 cancellations, as the political standoff between Republicans and Democrats persists.

Newark is among the worst offenders. The nation’s eighth busiest airport has suffered from staffing and technology challenges since well before the shutdown.

ATC workers and TSA agents are considered essential and are therefore required to work despite not receiving their paychecks. But during shutdowns absenteeism increases, with many workers reporting issues such as affording gas and childcare.

The problem is exacerbated by the length of the shutdown, which entered its 29th day on Wednesday, making it the second-longest in history and fast approaching the record which stands at 35.

United Airlines planes are seen at the tarmac at Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., May 7

Traders on online prediction markets like Kalshi are predicting the government shutdown will last 47 days — just short of the Thanksgiving travel rush.

Flight delays soared to 8,600 on Sunday, with around 44 percent attributed to ATC staffing issues — compared to the usual 5 percent. 

Around 44 percent of flight delays which soared to 8,600 on Sunday were caused by ATC staffing issues, compared to the usual 5 percent earlier this year. Some 8,600 flights were delayed.

The crisis continued on Monday as nearly 7,000 flights were delayed as air traffic controller absences surged.

The FAA cited staffing shortages and imposed ground delay programs affecting Newark, Austin Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas.

Flights in the southeast were delayed earlier because of significant staffing shortages at the Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control. 

The Trump administration has warned flight disruptions will increase as controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday. 

The mounting delays and cancellations are fueling public frustration and intensifying scrutiny of the shutdown’s impact, raising pressure on lawmakers to resolve it. 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was in Cleveland meeting with controllers on Monday, while the National Air Traffic Controllers Association union plans events at numerous airports on Tuesday to highlight the first missed paycheck.

During an appearance on the Fox News program ‘Sunday Morning Futures,’ Duffy said more controllers were calling in sick as money worries compound the stress of an already challenging job.

‘Just yesterday, … we had 22 staffing triggers. That´s one of the highest that we have seen in the system since the shutdown began. And that´s a sign that the controllers are wearing thin,’ he said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that air traffic controllers are ‘forced’ to take on second jobs like ‘driving for Uber’ in order to ‘make ends meet’ during the shutdown. 

‘With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, we are nearing the busiest travel period of the entire year, when millions of Americans will go to airports to spend time with their loved ones,’ Leavitt said on Thursday.

‘Let us be very clear from the White House today’ she added, ‘if the Democrats continue to keep the government closed we fear there will be significant flight delays, disruptions and cancellations in major airports across the country this holiday season.’

‘If Democrats continue to shut down the government, they will also be shutting down American air travel.’

The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.

In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by controllers and TSA officers rose as workers missed paychecks, extending wait times at some airport checkpoints. Authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington.