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US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for additional employment and reporting ill, as they continue to work unpaid amid the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on Sunday, as certain aircraft were grounded on the California shoreline due to personnel deficits.

After the federal closure on October 1st, air traffic controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to continue performing their duties without pay.

But some have been absent, leading terminals to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has added to delays due to weather and other issues.

Over three thousand American flights were delayed on Sunday, and Duffy said he anticipates the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the pressure," he remarked in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to multiple professionals to hear their worries directly.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there searching, 'Can I drive Uber, can I find an alternative of earnings to make ends meet?'" he continued.

Duffy added that on the previous day twenty-two notifications at airfields indicated travel would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - one of the highest since the closure began.

The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second-longest shutdown in the past.

Duffy has consistently cautioned that flight authorities would slow down the number of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he declined to respond straightforwardly when questioned if it was secure to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I need my staff focused on the airspace, not on the finances at their households," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to staffing shortages, leading to disruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and one of the busiest in the world, as well as other flights extending upward to the city of Oakland, California.

The FAA alert was issued at 8:45 AM in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Travel at Newark Airport, however, were postponed an average of 82 minutes due to personnel issues, and the FAA indicated DFW, the second most active airport in the US, could encounter problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency warned travelers in the state to check with airlines about revised departure times.

The situation precedes the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in Los Angeles on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak times to travel by air in the United States.

Pressure on US air travel contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the shutdown had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.

It led several air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on January 25, 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as leader, consented to approve a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.