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American flight controllers are increasingly seeking additional employment and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid during the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"The controllers are wearing thin," Sean Duffy informed a news outlet on the weekend, as some flights were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

Following the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers, were instructed to keep doing their duties without pay.

But some have been missing, causing terminals to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks due to climate and additional factors.

Over three thousand US flights were delayed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he anticipates the situation to grow worse.

"I observe the pressure," he remarked in an interview on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to multiple professionals to hear their concerns firsthand.

"They are pursuing second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Should I drive Uber, can I find an alternative of earnings to make ends meet?'" he added.

Duffy added that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields said travel would be delayed due to a lack of employees - among the peak since the closure began.

The US government shutdown entered its twenty-sixth day on the weekend, making it the second most extended halt in the past.

He has repeatedly warned that aviation regulators would slow down the quantity of planes in the sky if there is a deficit of safety personnel.

In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the United States, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I require my staff focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at home," Duffy stated.

On Sunday, some planes were stopped at LAX due to staffing shortages, leading to interruption at the fifth most active airport in the country and among the most crowded in the world, as well as other flights extending north to the metropolis of Oakland.

The FAA notice was issued at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were back on schedule before noon.

Flights at Newark Airport, though, were delayed an average of over an hour due to staffing shortages, and the authority said DFW, the second most active airfield in the US, could encounter difficulties from low staffing later in the day.

The FAA warned passengers in the state to check with airlines about updated flight schedules.

The situation comes ahead of the third match of the World Series, which is due to be played in LA on Monday evening, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak periods to fly in the US.

Pressure on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in 2019. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and disrupted flight services, including pilot training.

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

That same day, Donald Trump, who at the time was in his first term as leader, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after 35 days.