Delta calls on Congress to immediately end government shutdown, pay air traffic controllers

Delta Air Lines called connected Congress Thursday to "immediately walk a cleanable continuing resolution" to reopen the U.S. authorities and wage aerial postulation controllers.

U.S. aerial postulation controllers missed their archetypal afloat paychecks connected Tuesday arsenic the authorities shutdown drags connected done a 4th week with nary extremity successful show portion Republican and Democratic senators stay astatine an impasse.

"Missed paychecks lone increases the accent connected these indispensable workers, galore of whom are already moving mandatory overtime to support our skies harmless and secure," Delta said successful a connection Thursday.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian had warned earlier this period that the hose could spot impacts from a prolonged shutdown.

Air postulation controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers are indispensable employees who are required to enactment done the shutdown adjacent though they are not receiving regular paychecks.

The missed paychecks travel arsenic controllers grapple with a longstanding staffing shortage. There are 3,800 less afloat certified controllers than the FAA's target, according to Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

"These further distractions volition compound the existing risks successful an already strained system," Daniels said successful an sentiment piece in The Hill connected Tuesday.

"Every time the shutdown continues, the National Airspace System becomes little harmless than it was the time before, arsenic the controllers' absorption shifts from their captious information tasks to their fiscal uncertainty," helium said.

The shutdown began connected Oct. 1 aft Senate Republicans and Democrats failed to scope an statement to support the authorities open.

Democratic senators are insisting that Republicans hold to widen enhanced Affordable Care Act wellness security subsidies before they volition ballot for backing to reopen the government.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated Wednesday that a four-week shutdown would outgo the system astatine slightest $7 cardinal by the extremity of 2026. A six-week shutdown would outgo the system $11 billion, and an eight-week shutdown would outgo $14 billion, according to CBO estimates.

Flights person been delayed astatine respective U.S. airports implicit the past period but the severe disruptions that preceded the extremity of the longest-ever shutdown, betwixt precocious 2018 and aboriginal 2019, person not occurred.

— CNBC's Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.