Transportation secretary says figure is ‘one of the highest we’ve seen’ since 1 October as shutdown drags on

US airports have reported more than 20 incidents of air traffic controller shortages on Saturday, said Sean Duffy, transportation secretary, in the latest sign of the government shutdown’s impact.

Through the shutdown of the federal government, around 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers must work without pay during the shutdown.

The FAA is around 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, which had many to work mandatory overtime and six-day weeks before the shutdown began.