Richmond airport faces delays as shutdown hits U.S. flights
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Air traffic controllers at Richmond International Airport are set to miss their first paychecks Tuesday as the nearly month-long government shutdown drags on.
Why it matters: A combination of weather-related issues and staffing shortages at other airports has already created a domino effect that's led to delays at RIC.
Driving the news: Airport spokesperson Troy Bell tells Axios that RIC is operating as usual and hasn't been affected by shutdown-related staffing issues, as of Monday.
- Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration staff are considered essential and are required to work without pay.
- "Should we start to see callouts and an impact on services, we will provide the best guidance possible," Bell says, adding that he can't confirm whether there have been any callouts.
Yes, but: RIC did face some multi-hour delays on Monday night for flights to and from cities experiencing issues like Orlando, Newark and Charlotte.
Flashback: During the 2019 shutdown, financial strain led to sick-outs and missed work among unpaid controllers nationwide — forcing the Federal Aviation Administration to limit flights, reports Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Avery Lotz.
- Richmond's airport remained mostly the same until LaGuardia's staffing crunch caused delays here too.
What we're watching: The FAA's operations plan Monday showed an already stretched system, with staffing shortages in Atlanta and Southern California, weather-related slowdowns in Boston, and thunderstorms grounding planes across Florida.
Richmond's local FAA office auto-replied to Axios' request for comment, saying that it's closed amid the funding lapse and will respond once operations resume.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that airport spokesperson Troy Bell did not say there had been no shutdown-related callouts of federal essential workers.