Thousands of flights delayed as US shutdown drags on

Airports across the United States have descended into scenes of mounting chaos and frustration as the federal government shutdown drags into its second month — a crisis now spilling from the halls of Washington onto the tarmac of the nation’s busiest air hubs.

From Chicago to New York, Atlanta to Los Angeles, passengers spent the weekend stranded in serpentine queues and crowded terminals, as the shutdown’s ripple effects brought air travel to a near standstill. On Sunday alone, more than 5,000 flights were delayed, marking one of the most turbulent days for US aviation since the impasse began.

By Monday afternoon, that number had swelled further — over 2,500 delays and 60 cancellations — with Chicago O’Hare, Newark Liberty, New York’s JFK, and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson bearing the brunt of the disruption. Together, these major hubs accounted for more than 800 delays and dozens of cancellations, turning terminals into restless waiting rooms of uncertainty.

The White House, seeking to deflect public anger, issued a fiery statement on Monday, accusing Democrats of “sick political games” and blaming them for the nationwide travel paralysis. “Americans are paying the price,” it declared, “for Democrats’ reckless obstruction that has brought air travel to its knees.”

Democrats, in turn, dismissed the accusation as a cynical distortion, arguing that the administration was weaponizing misinformation. They insist their demand is not for healthcare benefits for undocumented immigrants — as Republicans allege — but for the restoration of healthcare funding for American citizens slashed in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year.

As the political blame game intensifies, the human cost continues to climb. Air traffic controllers — deemed essential workers — have been reporting for duty without pay for weeks. Many are now at a breaking point.

“None of them can miss two paychecks,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned in an interview with CNBC on Monday. “Their home finances fall apart, and they’re going to have to start looking for other jobs. We’re already short between 2,000 and 3,000 controllers nationwide.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), already struggling with a shortage of personnel even before the shutdown, is now operating on fumes. Each day brings mounting fatigue, thinning ranks, and greater safety risks — a quiet but growing danger above the clouds.

Security operations on the ground are also straining under the weight of the crisis. Houston Airports issued an advisory warning passengers that security wait times could exceed three hours at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and more than an hour at William P. Hobby Airport. Similar alerts have rippled through major cities — New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington, D.C. — where weary travelers queue for hours, clutching tickets that no longer guarantee timely departures.

What began as a political standoff in Washington has become a logistical nightmare across the skies. With no compromise in sight, America’s aviation arteries remain clogged, its travelers caught in a slow-motion storm of political dysfunction.

As night falls over delayed departure boards and anxious terminals, one truth looms above the partisan noise: the longer the shutdown endures, the closer the nation drifts toward a full-blown aviation crisis — one grounded as much in politics as in planes.

With IANS inputs