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US air traffic controllers are more and more looking for additional employment and calling in sick, as they continue to work unpaid during the government shutdown, the transport chief has stated.

"These professionals are wearing thin," the official informed a news outlet on Sunday, as certain aircraft were halted on the Californian coast due to personnel deficits.

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

But a number have been missing, causing terminals to halt or reduce their plane traffic, which has exacerbated setbacks due to weather and other issues.

Over three thousand US flights were postponed on Sunday, and the secretary stated he expects the circumstances to deteriorate further.

"I am seeing the stress," he remarked in an discussion on a weekend program, adding that he had met with several controllers to listen to their concerns directly.

"They're taking side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I work for Uber, am I able to secure an alternative of income to cover expenses?'" he added.

Duffy added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airfields said flights would be held up due to a lack of employees - one of the highest after the closure began.

The US government shutdown reached its twenty-sixth day on Sunday, making it the second most extended halt in history.

He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the quantity of planes in the air if there is a shortage of security staff.

In his interview, he declined to respond straightforwardly when questioned if it was safe to travel by air in the US, and instead issued a personal plea to the professionals.

"I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the monetary matters at their households," Duffy said.

On that day, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to employee deficits, causing interruption at the fifth most active terminal in the country and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as other flights extending north to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 8:45 AM in the morning on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.

Flights at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority indicated Dallas Fort-Worth, the second-busiest airfield in the country, could encounter problems from reduced staff later in the day.

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

The issue comes ahead of the third match of the championship, which is due to be played in LA on Monday night, and about one month before the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest periods to fly in the United States.

Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the halt had reached its fifth week and affected flight services, including pilot training.

It prompted a number of flight controllers to remain absent on the same day on January 25, 2019, briefly halting travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On that date, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.