A week into the government shutdown, flight delays and cancellations are starting to climb as sick calls involving air traffic controllers leave a number of airport towers and control facilities without enough staff to properly handle all flights.The air traffic control tower overseeing airspace over Nashville International Airport was operating at an extremely limited amount of staffing on Tuesday, forcing some approach traffic to be handled by the air traffic control center in Memphis, Tennessee.Flights in and out of Nashville were operating with an average delay of more than 2 hours on Tuesday evening. Travelers make their way to the gates during a temporary ground stop at the Nashville International Airport on October 7, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notified the airport that flights arriving and departing would be reduced due to a shortage of air traffic controllers amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.Seth Herald/Getty ImagesDallas and Chicago were two other areas seeing delays Tuesday due to staffing shortages.Popular ReadsBondi rips Democratic senators, dodges questions on 'weaponization' in fiery hearing Oct 7, 1:20 PMBen Affleck, Jennifer Lopez reunite on 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' red carpetOct 7, 11:04 AMTexas National Guard arrives in Illinois, as Pritzker decries 'authoritarian march'Oct 7, 4:38 PMFlight delays in Dallas are averaging around 30 minutes and Chicago delays are averaging 40 minutes, according to FAA advisories.Controllers are considered essential workers and are exempt from being furloughed during a government shutdown.
An estimated 13,294 controllers will continue to work without pay during the shutdown, according to the Department of Transportation's shutdown plan. Murkowski said she is working with the administration to find a solution. ...