US air traffic controllers not working full-time: Are flights from India affected?

Due to the US government shutdown, which forced air traffic controllers to work without pay, many are now taking second jobs, reports Reuters. After missing their first whole paycheck on Tuesday, hundreds of them have taken jobs as food delivery agents, waiters, and drivers for apps like Uber and others. It's been around 28 days since the shutdown. More than 50,000 security officers and 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the shutdown. They had received a partial paycheck around two weeks ago, but have also been calling in sick en masse, leading to many flight delays and cancellations. 

Impact on flights from India
Around 8,000 US flights were reportedly delayed on Tuesday due to the prevailing circumstances. However, at the moment, there are no reports of flights from India being affected. According to sources at Cochin  International Airport, international carriers such as Etihad and Emirates said they have not faced any delays on this front yet. Similarly, other airports or carriers have not yet reported any delays, though speculation is rife. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also recently warned that disruptions will intensify as controllers miss paychecks, worsening staffing issues.

Public frustration intensifies
Earlier, ground delay programmes were imposed at Newark Airport in New Jersey, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, and Austin Airport in Texas. Flights were also delayed due to staff shortage at the Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control. Southwest Airlines had 47%, or 2,089, of its flights delayed on Sunday, while American Airlines had 1,277, or 36%, of its flights delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.

United Airlines had 27%, or 807, of its flights delayed, and Delta Air Lines had 21%, or 725, of its flights delayed. On Monday, Southwest had 34% of flights delayed, American 29%, Delta 22% and United Airlines 19% as of 11:30 p.m. ET (0330 GMT), according to FlightAware. A U.S. Department of Transportation official said 44% of Sunday's delays stemmed from controller absences — up sharply from the usual 5%. The mounting delays and cancellations are fueling public frustration and intensifying scrutiny of the shutdown's impact, raising pressure on lawmakers to resolve it.
(With inputs from Reuters)