Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

The FAA is reporting that there are now critical staffing shortages among air traffic controllers, leading to widespread delays and cancellations at major US airports as the government shutdown enters its seventh day.

Getting into it: The warning from the FAA came after multiple delays and cancellations were reported at major airports across the country, underscoring a deepening crisis in the nation’s air traffic control system as the government shutdown drags into its seventh day. The FAA confirmed that critical staffing shortages are impacting operations, with Hollywood Burbank Airport, Newark, Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International, and others experiencing significant slowdowns. At Burbank, the situation was critical as the control tower was completely unmanned for nearly six hours on Monday evening, forcing air traffic to be managed remotely by Southern California TRACON. Dozens of flights were delayed or canceled, with outbound flights facing average delays of over two and a half hours, according to the FAA.

Air traffic controllers, considered essential federal workers, are required to continue working without pay during the shutdown. According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the FAA has recorded a slight but notable uptick in sick calls since the funding lapse began last Wednesday. While the government has not directly accused employees of coordinated protest actions, the increase in absences has sparked speculation that some controllers are using sick leave as a form of pressure in response to working without pay.

California Governor Gavin Newsom weighed in on social media, placing blame squarely on former President Trump and on underinvestment in air traffic infrastructure. “Thanks, @realDonaldTrump!” he wrote. “Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown.”

This comes as the shutdown’s ripple effects are growing. Roughly 750,000 federal employees are either furloughed or working without pay, including over 13,000 air traffic controllers and nearly 11,000 other FAA personnel. As delays stretched into Tuesday, the FAA said it was slowing traffic at some airports to ensure operations remained safe under the reduced staffing.