Logan Airport is bracing for the possibility of staffing challenges and travel delays due to the federal government shutdown that began Wednesday.
Industry leaders say passengers may notice issues as the shutdown continues, but the airport is not expecting any immediate delays.
TSA workers and air traffic controllers are considered essential employees and are required to continue working without pay during the shutdown, according to Jennifer Mehigan, a spokesperson for Massport, the quasi-public agency that oversees operations at Logan.
“We are in constant communication with our federal partners (we meet with them daily), and at this time don’t expect any immediate interruptions in service at the security checkpoint or elsewhere,” Mehigan said in an email to GBH News. “We will keep the public aware of any changes.”
As of Wednesday morning, operations appeared to be running smoothly at Logan. According to the airport performance tracker FlightAware, there were just a handful of delays and cancellations.
If the shutdown drags on, air travel industry groups have warned that passengers could experience issues.
“When federal employees who manage air traffic, inspect aircraft and secure our nation’s aviation system are furloughed or working without pay, the entire industry and millions of Americans feel the strain,” Airlines for America, a trade group representing major airlines, said in a statement. “Travelers, the shipping public and the dedicated federal employees who protect and maintain our nation’s aviation system deserve continuity.”
National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels has said that working long hours without pay adds stress to air traffic controllers who are already doing a difficult job.
“The increased stress and fatigue that comes from working long hours without pay cannot be overstated,” he stated.
Daniels and other industry leaders have also noted that the shutdown could derail a federal plan to address the national shortage of air traffic controllers. In a statement, the union representing air traffic controllers said that it supports Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy’s plans to “supercharge” controller hiring and modernize the nation’s air traffic control system, but warned that “both of these critical initiatives could experience delays during a government shutdown.”
During previous government shutdowns, there have not been any widespread delays or other operational issues at Logan airport.
But during the 2018-19 shutdown — the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history — there were staffing challenges. Six air traffic controllers who were new to Logan were furloughed, while fully certified controllers remained on the job without pay. TSA workers did not officially walk off the job because federal workers are legally prohibited from striking, but there were mass “sick-outs” in which unpaid TSA employees took sick leave, causing delays at airports across the country.
If the current shutdown lasts for weeks, as the 2018-19 shutdown did, an ongoing runway construction project at Logan could exacerbate any issues that arise. Since early September, non-federal Massport employees and contractors have been working on upgrades to one of the airport’s busiest runways.
Massport’s Mehigan said that the work — which has already caused widespread delays and cancellations at Logan — will continue despite the federal shutdown.
