Austin flights delayed after FAA staffing shortage triggers ground stop

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport hit another snag Monday as the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop, halting departures and delaying arrivals amid a nationwide squeeze on air traffic control staffing caused by the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The order, lifted around 4 p.m., gave way to a ground delay program expected to continue until 7 p.m., with inbound flights averaging 39-minute delays and some waiting up to 90 minutes before takeoff.

It’s at least the third time in two weeks Austin travelers have felt the pinch. Similar slowdowns snarled flights on Oct. 13 and again Oct. 19, when Formula 1 race crowds flooded the city.

Austin’s control tower, already operating with fewer than half the controllers the FAA says it needs, is not alone. Airports across the country have been hit by rolling slowdowns as unpaid controllers—required to report for duty but now weeks without paychecks—struggle to keep the system running safely.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News on Saturday that “things will only get worse” if the shutdown continues, warning that controller fatigue and financial strain are compounding delays coast to coast.

The FAA acknowledged the ongoing issues in an out-of-office auto-reply email the American-Statesman received in response to a request for comment.

“There have been increased staffing shortages across the system,” the message said. “When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations. For real-time flight impacts at U.S. airports due to staffing, weather, or other factors, please visit www.fly.faa.gov.”

Local officials tried to keep things upbeat. The Austin airport told the Statesman the facility “has not experienced significant delays to the customer experience since the government shutdown began,” but urged travelers to arrive early and “keep an eye on flight status” as holiday season chaos looms.