Chicago O'Hare Airport under ground delay due to staffing issues, FAA says
Staffing issues have caused Chicago O'Hare International Airport to be put on a ground delay, according to the FAA.
The ongoing government shutdown directly impacts essential airport workers like air traffic controllers and Transportation Safety Administration security screeners.
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, O'Hare was seeing delays averaging 41 minutes due to the staffing shortage. The FAA operations plan advisory website noted that a staffing trigger added O'Hare to the plan to mitigate air traffic without enough staff.
Airports in other U.S. cities have been affected, including in Newark, New Jersey, Denver, and Burbank, California.
Federal officials have flagged more air traffic control facilities for low staffing levels in recent days than they have since the summer of 2022, when the post-COVID travel boom sent delays and cancellations soaring, according to a CBS News data analysis of Federal Aviation Administration airspace advisories.
It was not known exactly how long the ground delay would remain at O'Hare.
Chicago Midway International Airport has not yet been affected.