An air traffic control tower was without staff. Is this the point of breaking the closure of the American government?

Among all the answers that a pilot does not want to hear when he communicates by radio with air traffic control, “the tower is closed due to the lack of staff” is probably in good place on the list.

But this is apparently what happened Monday at Hollywood Burbank airport in South California while a pilot was preparing for takeoff and sought to coordinate his departure, according to an audio recording recorded by Liveatc.net and reported by CNN.

The Burbank air traffic control tower was temporarily without staff on Monday, one of the many incidents that occurred at American airports caused by the lack of staff during the government. In an opinion, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that thefts at Burbank airport had been delayed by about two hours due to the “staff”, noting that its tower had “none” air controller.

A spokesperson for the FAA told the Times that the tower was without staff from around 4:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time, and that during this period, an air traffic control installation based in San Diego controlled air traffic.

The government’s closure that started last week due to a financial impasse sparked vast service interruptions and the unemployment of hundreds of thousands of civil servants.

CBC News contacted the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) union to obtain their comments and has not yet received an answer. In an automatic response, the FAA warned that it would limit its communications “due to a lack of funding”.

California Governor Gavin Newsom blames US President Donald Trump for Burbank, Trump has the flight problems with the “Democrats” and the Secretary of Transport, Sean Duffy, accuses the closure of exerting more pressure on already stressed air controllers.

But in the midst of all these criticisms, you may be wondering why it happens? Will passenger safety be affected? And is there an end in sight?

We will detail it for you here.

First of all, was what happened in Burbank dangerous?

According to CNN, it could have seemed dramatic to have an air traffic control tower without staff, but it is rather a logistical puzzle that caused delays. Thefts could take off and land, said CNN, but they had to follow procedures “generally used in small airports without a control tour”.

Tracon, the installation based in San Diego, controlled air traffic at a distance, and the pilots had to communicate with each other during the driving to and from the track, according to Business Insider.

In a declaration at La Times, Natca said that what happened in Burbank was “the last example of the fragility of our air system in the midst of a national shortage of these professionals essential to security”.

Air controllers resumed their operations on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

On Monday, the FAA operations manager stressed that the air traffic control system was still sure.

“It’s very, very sure. But we have to be at the forefront to make sure that our air controllers and our technicians have the best,” said Franklin McIntosh.

Shouldn’t air controllers continue to work?

Yes. But they are not paid and the FAA said that personnel problems delayed thefts, while Duffy said there had been a slight increase in the number of controllers taking sick leave.

Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and around 50,000 transport agents Security Administration must still come to work during the closure.

The controllers should receive a partial salary on October 14 for the work carried out before the judgment.

The union reminded workers on Monday that “participating in a pressure means could lead to radiation from the federal function” and that it would be illegal.

“It is more important than ever that we are up to par and that we continue to provide the coherent and high level public service that we provide every day.

“We cannot insist too much about the fact that it is essential to avoid any action that could have a bad image of you, our union or our professions.”

Look | Trump threatens to dismiss during the closure:

Trump renews his threat of massive layoffs at the federal level in full closure

In a publication on social networks, US President Donald Trump said the Republicans were to take advantage of the government’s closure “to eliminate dead wood, waste and fraud”, while imputing the closure to the Democrats of the Congress.

So what is the problem?

We expect the controllers to continue to work without pay check, said Duffy, and they are now worried about how to pay their bills in addition to worrying about ensuring flight safety.

Duffy said air traffic staff had sometimes been reduced by 50 percent in some regions since the start of closing last week.

Duffy noted that the controllers are worried. “They wonder:” Am I going to have a pay check? “” Said Duffy, adding that some wonder: “Should I accept a second job and drive Uber when I am already exhausted by already stressful work?”

In a declaration on X, the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (ACTCA) explained that controllers working without salary is put pressure on the workforce.

“We must expect morale, maintenance in post and absenteeism rates to be put to the test, especially if the closure extends,” wrote it.

The closure also reduces support, blocks hiring and training and can cause operational slowdowns, added the association.

“To maintain safety margins, it may be necessary to limit or reduce traffic levels. Delays and cancellations are more likely, especially in a congested airspace.”

How does that affect thefts?

Staff problems affected flights on Monday in many airports, including Newark, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas and Burbank, according to the FAA. The FAA said on Tuesday that many flights were delayed, among other things, at the Nashville and Newark airports.

Nashville air traffic control is facing major staff problems and will reduce its operations later on Tuesday, FAA announced. The approach control will be taken up later by Memphis Center, he added.

Flightaware said that more than 4,000 flights in the United States were delayed on Monday, including 29 percent of the flights to Denver, 19 percent of flights in Newark and 15 percent of flights to Las Vegas. Tuesday afternoon, there were 2,152 delays on the flights inside, at the destination or from the United States, and 58 cancellations, according to the flight tracking site.

The APPTA, the Canadian union, noted that training effects could also affect Canadian cross -border travelers.

“Canadian air traffic and flying flights in or near American airspace can be faced with delays or flow restrictions (for example, ground delay programs),” said it in its press release.

Could it be the breakdown?

There is a previous one.

In 2019, during a closure of 35 days, the number of absences from the controllers and transport agents Security Administration increased because workers lacked their pay checks, extending the waiting times at the control points in certain airports.

You may remember that Canadian air controllers sent pizzas to their American counterparts as a sign of solidarity. A Natca union representative told CBC The current At the time when its air controllers were forced to hold a second job between the quarters of work when they were responsible for the security of thousands of passengers.

The authorities were forced to slow down air traffic in New York, which has put pressure on the legislators so that they quickly ended the deadlock. Nancy Pelosi, then president of the House of Representatives, a Democrat, said at the time that the closure “pushed our airspace to the point of rupture”.

During a press conference on Monday, Nick Daniels, president of Natca, called for an end to it.

“We must put an end to this closure so that the Federal Aviation Administration and the committed professionals of air security can put this distraction aside and focus entirely on their vital work.”